OLLY’S AN ACE
Star serves up a treat with pop pal Louisa Johnson
HEART throb Olly Murs has sent fans into a frenzy last week after posting a cheeky photo of himself on Instagram – in form-fitting shorts.
The pop sensation posed for the revealing photograph on the set of his new video in a complete retro tennis kit, complete with sweatbands. The caption simply read “Excited to see the video,” alongside two emojis – one of a pair of eyes, and the other of a laughing face.
Although many fans were in support of his latest release – a collaboration with X Factor winner Louisa Johnson, it was clear that focus was mainly on the contents of his shorts.
Speculation has since been rife about what is contained in those tennis whites, with hundreds of fans commenting on the post questioning what the Troublemaker singer appears to be packing.
However, speaking excusively to our sister paper the Daily Post, the 33 year-old explains what is really going on inside those famous pants: “I hate to burst your bubble, but it’s not real. It’s a banana of some sort I put down there.
“But one thing I can tell you is that it was a tight squeeze to get the banana in.
“We were just having fun on the set of the video and I thought it would be fun to take a picture. It’s quite funny how far these things go – and it does look rather real.
“But, no, it’s not real unfortunately. I suppose you’d have to find out what’s real but it’s definitely not a banana.”
The BRIT-nominated singer turned pre- senter will be supported by X-Factor winner Louisa Johnson on his up-coming tour. Having met when she was auditioning for the 12th series of the show, Murs explains how it was a natural choice to pair up with her on both the tour and his most recent single, Unpredictable: “I wanted a support act for the tour and Louisa was the perfect choice.
“She’s someone I know well and as she’s from X-Factor, and I feel my audience and fans will know her well too. I thought she’s be great – and she has been fantastic.
“When we were announcing the tour and that Louisa will be part of it, I already had the song Unpredictable in the pipeline and I thought it would be brilliant if she could be on it. That’s how it all came together really. And it’s been lovely. It’s been so nice to do a song with someone and have so much fun doing it.
“It’s just brilliant. It’s hard to explain really but it’s a fun song and we’ve both had a great time recording it.”
Murs has enjoyed an extensive career in the spotlight following his appearance in the sixth series of the X-Factor, finishing runner up in 2009.
Since then, the singer songwriter has produced four UK number one albums, and several number one hit singles including Please Don’t Let Me Go and Heart Skips a Beat, which features hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks.
After becoming a co-host on the seventh series of the X-Factor, Murs famously became good friends with global superstars, boy-band One Direction – in particular Niall Horan. The pair, who once lived in the same apartment block, recently featured on a special celebrity edition of Channel 4 show Gogglebox. Horan has since been quoted as describing the singer as untidy, much to the dismay of Murs: “Yeah, me and Niall get on really well – we’re really good mates.
“Thing is, he came round to my flat and created all the mess. My flat can be a bit messy, full of clothes, shoes and all sorts really. So I guess he has a little bit of a point, but I’m not as messy as people think. I’m not that bad.
“I think the last time he came round, we were doing Gogglebox for Stand Up to Cancer. He came round and Gogglebox completely ruined my apartment and made it look really messy. And in my defence, we were filming so it was obviously a little messy doing that. But he’s a good lad – it’s probably just a bit of banter but I’ll be having words with him next time I see him!”
The singer publicly split from his long-term partner in 2015, and although it has been speculated that he is dating, Murs maintains that he is still firmly single, and concentrating on his career: “I’m single at the moment. I’ve not met anyone. I’m not really dating, I’m just keeping everything away from it all with working.
“If someone pops along then great, but at the moment I’m enjoying myself, doing my own thing and waiting for the right one to come along.
“I need someone with a good personality, someone fun. I need someone that can handle me.”