It was the rumour that broke the hearts of girls around the globe.
But fans of One Direction can now rest easy, as Demi Lovato has confirmed she is NOT dating heartthrob Niall Horan.
The internet was abuzz as gossip mongers claimed the new X Factor USA judge had sunk her claws into the 18-year-old Irishman.
But she said: ‘No I’m not. He’s really sweet and he’s one of my really good friends now.
‘But no, I’m single at the moment and plan to be for quite a long time.
‘I need to focus on my career myself and my well being before i think about getting in a relationship with anyone.’
Fans of the singer will be relieved at her last statement, following her high-profile meltdown in 2010 that saw her drop out as a support act on a tour with the Jonas Brothers.
Demi, who was dating Joe Jonas at the time, entered rehab after attacking backing dancer Alex Welch, who she believed had reported her for behaving badly to her management and father.
She ended up reaching a financial settlement with him over the incident.
The rumours of her relationship were sparked when she labelled the Irish singer ‘adorable’ during an interview.
He fanned the flames further when he said: ‘I’d like to see her all right and she’s a similar age. She seems to be a nice girl. It’d be good.’
The former Disney kid also said she was loving her new role as a talent judge on the hit show, and that she is a match for the the show’s resident Mr Nasty.
She said: ‘Everyone’s really great, except Simon.
‘We have fun together. He does tease me a lot but I give it back to him, I don’t mind.
‘He’s sometimes not very nice to me, but I have fun with him.’
Demi also said she was excited to be working with her idol Britney Spears.
She said: ‘I grew up listening to her so its really awesome to be able to sit next to her on a panel.
Britney also revealed she is a big fan of her younger rival.
She said: ‘I totally admire her work and everything she’s done.’
And the 3 singer said she has even been picking up tip from her new friend.
She said: ‘Today I didn’t even know what is considered a good rapper, because I don’t listen to rap music. I was like, “is that good.”‘
Amusingly her new chum proved to be just as clueless, admitting: ‘I was like, “I don’t know. He talks fast and he sounds good, so yeah”‘
Source: Daily Mail