Louis Tomlinson feels "so in love" with Zara McDermott

Speaking on Steven Bartlett's The Diary Of A CEO podcast, he said: "I'm a deeply, deeply romantic person.

"It's also easy to be romantic when you are a creative... I really struggle to write in a fictional sense, I really struggle.

"For me, I have to have been living it, it has to be real to me.

"So, if I wasn't feeling so good, like right now, I wasn't feeling so in love... the record probably would have a slightly different feel to it."

Louis admitted dating Zara - who split from TV and radio presenter Sam Thompson last year - has given him a "new sense of happiness, and purpose, and fulfilment".

He added: "One thing I was thinking about with this record, my intention is just to maybe feel good.

"I know that's a really cliché and obvious thing to say, but I'm not sure some of my other music did that.

"It made you feel, it was honest, it was painful at times, but it didn't feel good.

"So, I think now I've got this almost new sense of life, a new sense of happiness, and purpose, and fulfilment, all those things."

Louis became a father to son Freddie, nine - who he has with his ex, American stylist Briana Jungwirth - when he was 24, but the singer always felt "utterly confident" about being a dad.

He said: "I was 24 when I had Freddie... I never was intimidated by the idea, I've always been excited about it, even from being a young lad.

"A lot of the emotions that people go through when they've become a new parent, some of those will be different for me because I was so excited about the day, but also truthfully, I felt utterly confident.

"I felt like I was going to be a good dad, I really, really wanted to play that role."

But he will never take a selfie with a fan when he is with his boy.

He added: "I'd like to say I'm pretty good with fan photos, I'll take them eight times out of 10.

"But whenever I'm with Freddie, there is a 1000 per cent no chance, that is just not happening."