Louis Tomlinson believes becoming a father was a "blessing"

He shared: "I wouldn't have made this decision if someone asked me on the day.

"But thank God that the decision was made for me because it's just a blessing to be this age and to be able to have a child."

In fact, Louis drew a parallel between his situation and that of his mother Johannah, who died at the age of 43 in December last year.

Speaking to The Sun newspaper, the One Direction star explained: "What I loved about my relationship with my mum - she had me very young when she was 19 - is that it never felt like there was a generation gap.

"I witnessed that with so many of my friends. You know, 'My mum just doesn't get it'.

"Hopefully because of the closeness in age, I will be able to give that to Freddie, too."

Louis also revealed that his mother's life experiences have helped to prepare him for fatherhood.

He said: "There are a lot of men for who the idea of having a child is really intimidating but I've grown up around kids.

"My mum was a midwife, so I'd forever be holding kids if she wasn't popping them out herself.

"It took that kind of fear away from me because what I saw in my mum is that all it takes is relentless consideration and love.

"The actual science of it isn't too f*****g hard. Fundamentally it's about being as good as you possibly can."