Louis Tomlinson put on a brave face as he performed his debut single live on ‘The X Factor’ on Saturday evening (10.12.16).
The former One Direction star put on the performance of his life of his track ‘Just Hold On’ with DJ Steve Aoki as a tribute to his late mother Johannah Deakin, who passed away on Wednesday (07.12.16) after a secret battle with leukaemia.
Speaking after the performance, Simon told a tearful Louis: "I have to say something to you. I’ve known you for six years, what you’ve just done – the bravery.
"I respect you as an artist and I respect you as a person. Your mum was so proud of you Louis and she was so looking forward to this performance. She’s watching over you now and you’ve done her so proud."
The 24-year-old singer bravely took to the stage to perform the track, which features the poignant lyrics: "What do you do when a chapter ends / Do you close the book and never read it again / Where do you go when your story’s done / You can be who you were or who you’ll become."
The upbeat song – which ended with the four judges, Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger, and the 12,000 strong crowd at Wembley Arena giving Louis an extended standing ovation – also features the lyrics: "If it all goes wrong, darling just hold on / The sun goes down and it comes back up / The world, it turns no matter what / If it all goes wrong, darling just hold on."
Steve cancelled several tour dates so he could be alongside Louis for his first live performance of the track.
Meanwhile, earlier on Saturday (10.12.16), Louis took to Twitter to thank his fans for their support.
He wrote: "All the support has been incredible! Let’s do this together tonight."
Louis Tomlinson’s X Factor tribute to his late mother
