Louis Tomlinson says Dan Walker ‘lacked all empathy’ after awkward BBC Breakfast row

Former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson has opened up on Steven Bartlett’s podcast about coping with his sister and mum’s death

Louis Tomlinson has spoken out about the Dan Walker BBC Breakfast row on Steven Bartlett’s podcast, five years after it took place. Back in 2020, Louis appeared on the programme where Dan and Louise Minchin interviewed him following the death of his mum and sister.

However, thigs didn’t go to plan as the BBC were reportedly sent a list of topics not to ask the former One Direction star about and his mum and sister’s death was on the list.

This didn’t stop the hosts from asking away though, which left Louis upset. Louis’ mum died in 2016 after a battle of cancer and his sister Félicité succumbed to an accidental drug overdose in 2019.

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After the interview, the singer took to social media to write: “Defo won’t be going on there again.” Dan then replied to the post as he asked why Louis was upset with the interview.

Louis responded: “I was upset that you continued to ask me about my grief. It goes without saying how hard it is to lose both people so close to me. The least I ask is that you respect my decision of not wanting to be asked in interviews about something so painful.

“I’m lucky enough to have a creative outlet for me to talk about grief. This doesn’t, however, give you the right to talk about it for gossip purposes.”

Dan then replied to Louis with: “Hi Louis. We were asking you about the song on your new album about your mum.

“We know it’s painful which is why we didn’t dwell on it. No intention to upset you or be ‘gossipy’ about it at all. That’s not our style on #BBCBreakfast.”

Louis has now spoken about what happened once again on Steven Bartlett’s podcast. He explained that the interview was an early morning slot and he was going on to talk about his single Two of Us.

Louis said: “We distinctly said ‘these are the things that are okay to mention’ and ‘do not mention these things’. But I actually, the journalist at the time who asked me directly about those things, and I’d known that we’d said don’t.”

After showing a clip of Dan asking about his family losses, Louis continued: “Sometime we might have on that list ‘don’t ask about One Direction’ or something like that, this is not what I’ve got a problem with.

“But when someone’s had their own grief and you still then going to ask those kind of questions, I find that really really troubling and then I think what was interesting was I left the interview and I took to Twitter and was like ‘I’m never f***ing working with the BBC again’ and he came back at me this journalist.”

Louis said that Dan replied by insinuating that if he wrote a song about grief, he should expect those questions. This meant that Louis said he then assumed that Dan had not experienced grief before.

He explained that he came to this conclusion as he said that someone who had been through grief wouldn’t make “such a horrible, horrible” comment which “lacked all empathy”.

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Sabalenka beaten in epic Wuhan semi-final by Pegula

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World number one Aryna Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at the Wuhan Open came to an end as Jessica Pegula rallied from 5-2 down in the deciding set to win and set up a final against Coco Gauff.

Sabalenka had won in Wuhan in each of the past three tournaments and looked set to reach the final again when she broke twice to take command of the third set.

But 31-year-old Pegula dug deep to win four games in a row.

Sabalenka survived two match points to force a tie-break but had nothing left as American Pegula won 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2).

Earlier, French Open champion Gauff put in a stuttering performance but secured victory over Jasmine Paolini to reach the final.

The 21-year-old beat the Italian seventh seed 6-4 6-3 in a match featuring 11 breaks of serve in a row to reach her first final since her win at Roland Garros in June.

Gauff may have won in straight sets but struggled on serve, being broken five times and serving seven double faults.

“I’m really happy with how I played today. It was tough, especially playing on the serve, but I did what I needed to do to get through,” Gauff said.

“Sabalenka and Pegula are great players, and I’ve lost to them both before. But overall, I’m just going to focus on my side of the court and try to control the things I can control.”

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Sabalenka beaten in epic Wuhan semi-final by Pegula

Getty Images
  • Comments

World number one Aryna Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at the Wuhan Open came to an end as Jessica Pegula rallied from 5-2 down in the deciding set to win and set up a final against Coco Gauff.

Sabalenka had won in Wuhan in each of the past three tournaments and looked set to reach the final again when she broke twice to take command of the third set.

But 31-year-old Pegula dug deep to win four games in a row.

Sabalenka survived two match points to force a tie-break but had nothing left as American Pegula won 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2).

Earlier, French Open champion Gauff put in a stuttering performance but secured victory over Jasmine Paolini to reach the final.

The 21-year-old beat the Italian seventh seed 6-4 6-3 in a match featuring 11 breaks of serve in a row to reach her first final since her win at Roland Garros in June.

Gauff may have won in straight sets but struggled on serve, being broken five times and serving seven double faults.

“I’m really happy with how I played today. It was tough, especially playing on the serve, but I did what I needed to do to get through,” Gauff said.

“Sabalenka and Pegula are great players, and I’ve lost to them both before. But overall, I’m just going to focus on my side of the court and try to control the things I can control.”

Related topics

  • Tennis

More on this story

  • Some tennis balls
    • 16 August
    BBC Sport microphone and phone

Macklemore fans have been making mistake with rapper’s name for 25 years

Macklemore fans are only just realising they’ve been saying his name completely wrong for the past 25 years – but some have claimed the true pronunciation is ‘obvious’

Macklemore has lent his rapping talents to several big hits over the course of his 25-year career, but many people do not know how to pronounce his stage name correctly. The rapper, born Benjamin Haggerty, took up the Macklemore pseudonym and began his career in 2000, but he didn’t rise to international success until he partnered with producer Ryan Lewis to form the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in 2009.

The duo was best known for their 2013 single Thrift Shop, and together they won four Grammy Awards at the 2014 ceremony, including Best New Artist. But 25 years after Macklemore debuted, and over 10 years since he had his biggest hit, some people online are only just figuring out how to pronounce his name.

In a TikTok video shared by a woman named Eleanor, she said she had just discovered how to say Macklemore’s stage name, and admitted she’d been saying it wrong for over a decade.

She revealed it should be pronounced as though it were three separate words, as in “Mack-le-more,” instead of condensing the first part to rhyme with tackle, as in “Mackle-more.”

Eleanor said in her video: “No, because how was I supposed to know? How was I supposed to know? What do you mean it’s ‘Mack-le-more’? Is he a mid-tier French noble? I don’t think so!”

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Commenters on the clip were divided, too. Many said they also had no idea how the rapper’s name was supposed to be pronounced, while others claimed his name is spoken out loud in Thrift Shop, so fans of the track should be aware.

One person said: “It’s not Mackle-more?! Who is saying it Mack-le-more?!”

Another added: “You’re telling me his name has been Mack Lemore this whole time, and I thought it was Mackle More?”

But someone else argued: “I’m so confused, I’ve always said Mack-le-more and never once did I think it was Mackle-more. How did you guys come to this conclusion?”

Another also pointed out: “It’s literally said in the song. ‘Hey Macklemore, can we go thrift shopping?'”

Macklemore came up with his stage name during a graphic arts class in school, where he was tasked with coming up with an action figure that he had to name. He named the figure Professor Macklemore and used that as his stage name before eventually dropping the Professor part.

Speaking on an episode of On Air With Ryan Seacrest in 2017, he said: “I was assigned an action figure in graphic arts class, and we had to name him, and I named him Professor Macklemore.

“That summer, I went to Brooklyn, New York, for an art program when I was 17, and I would go to thrift shops and dress up in random old clothes. I would go out in Brooklyn, and I would call myself Professor Macklemore, and that’s where it all started.”

During the same interview, he also addressed people pronouncing his name incorrectly, saying he wishes he had given his rap name more thought before deciding on it.

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Global Warning: Our future in a warmer world

A three-part series on the realities of climate change – but with innovative solutions to safeguard our future.

This decisive decade demands unprecedented action to address humanity’s greatest challenge. With global access, this three-part series examines the real consequences of climate change for our civilisation, through the rest of the 21st century and beyond.

Irish journalist Philip Boucher-Hayes visits climate hotspots, from Greenland’s melting glaciers to sub-Saharan Africa’s weather extremes, from the flooding of agricultural land in Bangladesh to the thaw of the Siberian permafrost. He meets experts and witnesses who explain the interconnectivity of the world’s fragile ecology, as we reach tipping points from which there may be no return.

The series looks at new climate science and faces the harsh realities of a changing world – collapsing ecosystems, marine die-offs and escalating extreme weather phenomena. But it also explores a positive vision for reimagining economies, landscapes and infrastructure – and practical solutions, ways of mobilising collective resolve, and challenging humanity to become a transformative force, harnessing innovation to safeguard the future of civilisation.

Episode 1, Into the Storm, highlights the immediate and escalating effects of climate change. It opens in Ireland, where extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common. In Greenland, it explores the rapid melting of the ice sheet, with potentially devastating consequences – rising sea levels and disruptions to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the main ocean current system in the Atlantic Ocean. It also touches on the effects of climate change in Malawi and Siberia, a grim picture of widespread damage.

Episode 2, Against the Tide, focuses on adaptation strategies. It explores how countries and communities are responding to rising sea levels, increased flooding and more frequent droughts. The Netherlands serves as a case study in proactive adaptation, coming up with innovative solutions in the form of sea barriers and climate-resilient infrastructure. This episode also examines the challenges faced by vulnerable communities in Wales, Bangladesh and Florida.

Episode 3, Decarbonising the Global Economy, addresses the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. It opens with the world’s dependence on carbon-based energy sources and then explores ways to a cleaner, more sustainable future. It travels to Ukraine, the United States, Sweden, Finland and Florida, presenting a range of approaches to decarbonisation.

Paris Fury admits Tyson’s habits that drive her ‘insane’ in candid relationship insight

Paris Fury, who has been married to husband Tyson since 2008, has opened up about her relationship with the professional boxer in an exclusive chat

Paris Fury has candidly confessed the habits her husband has which drive her ‘insane’, giving fans an honest insight into their long relationship.

Paris, who has been married to Tyson since 2008, and her boxer husband recently renewed their vows to one another in a romantic ceremony joined by their children. It’s apparent the couple are just as loved-up as the day they met, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things 35 year old Paris finds annoying about her husband, Tyson, 37.

Speaking candidly about the things her husband does that wind her up, she revealed in an exclusive video: “Tyson loves to wake up at 6 am, he is an early bird and I cannot stick it. He gets up, he’s cheering, he’s clapping, he’s putting lights on – not for me, not at that time in the morning.”

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Paris, was speaking after being announced as the face of Eternal Collagen, then added: “Number two is a love hate relationship, it’s his spontaneity. He is crazy spontaneous – really, really, really random things. But, I hate it on some days but love it at other times so that’s a bit of a 50/50.”

“Finally, number three would be Tyson’s crazy dress sense,” she revealed. “I like to think that I like to dress quite nice and Tyson believes he dresses quite nice but sometimes a little bit too flamboyant for me.”

It’s been an incredibly exciting time for the Fury clan, as in August Paris and Tyson renewed their vows in a stunning ceremony in the South of France. Sharing snaps from the special occasion, Paris wrote in the caption: “So we got married 2008 in England, again in 2013 in NYC and 2025 in South of France all to my best friend @tysonfury Loved doing it with all my kids this time.”.

And it seems love is in the air in the family as the couple’s eldest daughter Venezuela recently got engaged during her 16th birthday party celebrations.

Proud mum Paris shared the news as she posted a video of the special moment on Instagram and announced in the caption: “Congratulations to @venezuelafuryofficial and @7noahprice on getting engaged. Both only young but when you know you know! Still in shock but very happy for you both. Me and your Dad couldn’t be prouder xxx @tysonfury”.

While many congratulated the happy couple, some were concerned due to her age. However, it is traveller tradition to typically marry between the ages of 16 and 19.

Venezuela later spoke out to reveal she was “happy” about her engagement news. In the trend she followed, she joked about how their relationship changed so quickly. She wrote about approaching him before they started dating: “I’ll have a chat to him, it’s only a boy.”

The next slide showed the words “Directed by Jesus” before she showed a picture of Noah getting down on one knee to propose to her.

“Really am so happy,” she captioned the post and added a red heart emoji. Fans rushed to the comment section to compliment the teenager, with one writing: “Congratulations can you imagine your wedding dress.”

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