One Direction - Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction

Welcome to our first book! We can hardly believe it.

Weve had so much fun writing this and remembering all the crazy, funny and emotional moments weve had so far. And believe us, there have been many. We want to share as much with you as we can, so inside you can read all about the ups and downs, find out how we really get on with each other and discover our big plans for the future.

Its amazing to think about how much has happened in such a short space of time. This time last year we were just starting out on The X Factor . Since then weve done loads of traveling, learned a ridiculous amount and made music which were incredibly proud of and we hope you love.

Its no exaggeration to say were having the best time of our lives right now, and theres no way that would be happening if it wasnt for you. Thank you for all your unbelievable support. It means the world to us and we love you. Heres to many, many good times to come.

Love,

HAPPY DAYS

I sometimes get flashbacks of when I was a kid, and I think my earliest memories are of being at Disney World when I was about five. Everything seemed so big and fun and I loved it.

The first time I was ever away from my family was when I started going to a nursery called Happy Days. And they were happy days, to be fair. I always got on really well with all the staff, and the lady who owned the center was our babysitter, so I probably got to play with the good toys more than the other kids did. I was pretty well behaved and I didnt get into a lot of trouble or anything. I was more interested in playing than being naughty.

I remember my first day of school pretty clearly. My mom came and sat with me in the class, and then about halfway through the day she left. All the kids were playing together, but some were crying a bit. I felt fine about it and I had a few friends there so I settled in quite quickly and never minded being there. My best friend in primary school was a guy called Jonathan, and hes still a good friend of mine now and I see him all the time. He came to see me on the tour and we always keep in touch.

PLAYING IN THE GARDEN AGE THREE

I was in the school plays from a really young age and I once played Buzz Lightyear in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang . I know that sounds a bit weird, but basically when the children hid from the Child Catcher in the toy store they had Buzz and Woody in there, so I got to dress up as Buzz. That was one of my first ever performances, if you can call it that.

I also did a play called Barney about a mouse who lived in a church. I played Barney and I had to wear a pair of my sisters gray tights and a headband with ears on and sing in front of everyone. I like to think I was a good mouse.

I always used to love singing. The first song I knew all the words to was The Girl of My Best Friend by Elvis. My dad introduced me to his music, and when I was given a karaoke machine by my granddad, my cousin and I recorded a load of Elvis tracks. I wish I still had them so I could have a listen.

I liked math from an early age because we got to use bricks and cubes and it was quite fun, but as I got older I found it harder, so I got much more into English. I could produce really good pieces of writing and I felt really proud when I got an A for my first ever essay. But I was so easily distracted that I started spending more and more time chatting to friends in class or daydreaming, and sadly I never quite got up to that standard again.

I liked PE too and I played soccer a lot. When I started playing for the local soccer team in goal I made friends from other schools as well, which meant I had a lot of friends. Ive always liked being around people and getting to know new people, so Ive always had a wide group of friends. Also I used to be friends with girls as well as boys. I wasnt one of those boys who thought girls were smelly and didnt like them; I was kind of friends with everyone.

I got a bit cheekier as time went on, and when I was about eight or nine I started testing the boundaries. Id often try and get one over on the teachers. I also got much more interested in girls. I only ever got into one fight the whole time I was at school, and that was in primary school. Im not the type to pick a fight, and if someone had ever tried to start a fight it would make me laugh more than anything.

When I was seven my mom and dad divorced, and that was quite a weird time. I remember crying about it when my parents told me they were splitting up, but after that I was alright. I guess I didnt really get what was going on properly, I was just sad that my parents wouldnt be together any more.

My mom, my older sister Gemma and I left Holmes Chapel and moved farther out into the Cheshire countryside. Our new home was a pub, and my mom became the landlady. There was a boy called Reg living nearby and he was the only other kid in the area, so even though he was my sisters age we used to hang out together all the time. The summer we moved there Reg and I used to go every day to Great Budworth Ice Cream Farm, which was about two miles away. Wed borrow two pounds off our moms and cycle up there and get an ice cream. I can remember that so clearly. Its the same ice cream farm I took all the boys to when they came to stay before Bootcamp. And the ice cream is still as good now.

On the subject of girls, when I was about six I was friends with a girl called Phoebe Fox. Her mom and mine were best friends, and I bought her a teddy bear the same as my one and everything. She was the cutest little girl. I had a few other girlfriends here and there when I was really young, but I didnt have an actual girlfriend until I was 12. Then I went out with a girl called Emilie, and for quite a long time considering how young we were. Shes still a good friend of mine now. I was also with a girl called Abi. I guess you could say that she was my first serious girlfriend.

Ive been single now since the end of 2009 and Im fine with that. Im not consciously looking for a girlfriend, but if I meet someone I like it would be great. I do like being with someone and if the right person came along, then wed see what happened.

When I was about 12 we moved back to Holmes Chapel, and thats when my mom met my stepdad, Robin. I really liked him and I was always asking her if he was coming over, but she wanted to make really sure that Gemma and I were okay with him being around. She worried about it a lot, so in the end I used to text him and tell him to come over because I thought he was a really cool guy. Ive always got on well with him and I still do now.