British boy band One Direction announced their split, but fans have been hoping of a possible reunion. Numerous rumours regarding a unification have surfaced however, none have materialised. Adding on to the list of rumours is the latest speculation of a possible Christmas reunion. Singer Liam Payne has hinted that he will reunite with his former band mates during this year’s holiday season. Before his grand opening at Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball in the UK, he spoke behind the scenes about visiting the band members which include Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. “I spoke to Niall, we spent like four hours on FaceTime, I hadn’t spoken to him in ages. I hope to see him over Christmas. I mean, the thing about it is I can understand that we’re all quite tired,” he stated. Payne continued, “Like I was saying to him the other night, ‘Oh I’ll come over or whatever’ and then he flaked me twice so I was like ‘look, listen, I’ll just text you next week and we’ll see what’s happening. Just let me know when you’re available’.” He went on to say that he understands how busy everyone is. “I obviously saw Louis over the course of The X Factor but I haven’t seen Harry in a while now.” But he stopped short of commenting on Zayn. One Direction went on a hiatus in January 2016 and the five members have all enjoyed successful solo careers. But the band is suffering a rumoured rift with Zayn, who announced his departure from the group in 2015. Published in Daily Times, December 12th 2018.