EXCLUSIVE: The boy from Holmes Chapel is unchanged by an amazing 14 years of fame – but his humble upbringing isn’t the only secret to his huge success, as OK! finds out

Even before I first met Harry, nearly 13 years ago, I knew that he and his One Direction bandmates had something very special.

It was June 2011, and the fivesome were still three months away from releasing their debut single, the chart-topping What Makes You Beautiful.

Yet, as editor of Top Of The Pops Magazine, I was about to begin an eight-hour photoshoot with One Direction, for a special issue entirely devoted to the soon-to-be superstars.

It’s unheard of to make magazines about celebrities who haven’t yet translated their hype into any form of commercial success. But I was already aware these lads more than deserved the attention they were getting from fans and the music industry – everyone knew they’d go stratospheric.

Harry and his One Direction bandmates had something very special (Image: Newspix / Rex Features)

Simon Cowell and Harry attend the One Direction This Is Us world premiere afterparty in August 2013 (Image: Getty Images Europe)

What I hadn’t realised, was that a 17 year old Harry would walk into the room already radiating star quality. Someone who was already so very different to his four closest new friends and bandmates – Louis, Liam, Zayn and Niall. Harry was friendly and chatty, but also extremely self-aware, self-assured and way beyond his years.

He was even a bit flirty with the journalists and photographers on our shoot, and when asked about his celebrity crush during our interviews, casually admitted: “It’s Caroline Flack”.

At that point, Caroline was the host of The X Factor’s spin off show – a woman 15 years his senior, who infamously later became his girlfriend. Harry was definitely quite different.

Performing to fans in Sydney in 2014 (Image: Getty Images for Citi)

Harry performing with One Direction on the Today show in New York in 2012 (Image: ABACA USA/PA Images)

Music journalist and former editor of Smash Hits and NME, Mark Sutherland, agrees that this One Directioner always shone brighter than the other boys.

“There were plenty of signs he was the superstar among them, even if it wasn’t immediately apparent,” he explains, recounting Harry’s first, fateful X Factor audition in front of Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger.

“He initially got rejected as an individual performer, presumably because they felt he didn’t have ‘the X factor’, which is ironic, as he proved to be the person who did,” Mark says.

Everyone OK! exclusively spoke to in putting together this tribute to Harry for his 30th birthday – the people who know him best – were in unanimous agreement, labelling him: “Charming” (vocal coach, Yvie Burnett), “humble” (film critic, James King) an even “magnetic” (biographer, Jordan Paramor).

Wowing the crowds at the Brit Awards in London, February 2023 (Image: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

Harry promoting his album in 2017 (Image: Harley Weir/Courtesy of Columbia Records)

And while his One Direction bandmates have all gone on to enjoy their own solo careers, Harry’s popularity is now only just shy of world domination.

With three albums, three major movie roles and two record-breaking world tours to his name, it’s abundantly clear he can sing, act, and is a stunningly accomplished entertainer, both on stage and TV. Not to mention being a style icon and one of the UK’s biggest philanthropists.

His desire and ability to diversify is undoubtedly part of the reason for Harry’s huge success, explains PR guru Lauren Lunn-Farrow, founder of The Expert Agency.

“He’s broken into numerous areas outside of music including acting and fashion which have all showcased his star power and reinforce the fact he’s hugely ambitious and pushes boundaries to break into new areas,” she says.

Putting on a show at Coachella, April 2022 (Image: Getty Images for Coachella)

Harry attending the 79th Venice Film Festival in September 2022 (Image: PA Images)

A refusal to become a victim of his own hype also works so well in Harry’s favour, as Lauren Lunn-Farrow explains: “Something hugely admirable about him is that in a fickle industry he’s known as being fiercely loyal, very down to earth and a true grafter.”

Pop culture expert Nick Ede agrees, singling out Harry’s desire to stay normal while giving his career and fans his all.“You don’t get far in this industry as a diva, but Harry has always remained grounded,” he says. “He’s well known in the industry as someone who works hard and puts 100 percent into every challenge.”