A Deep Dive Into Niall Horan's Celeb-Packed Dating History
Niall Horan has quite a star-studded dating history. What else can you expect from a former One Direction member? Early in his career, the "Slow Hands" singer was coy when it came to speaking about his romantic life, but never denied that he was looking for love. In 2013, he told On Demand Entertainment, "I'm waiting for her to come around. Yeah, I don't know. It's the same with anyone, just waiting for the right person to stand in front of me." Being a member of one of the hottest boy bands to ever exist, girls were throwing themselves at the singer, but even though he admitted that he would date a fan, it seems that none of them were the right fit for Horan. Of course, that doesn't mean he hasn't had his fair share of romances.
From musicians to models to actors, Horan has dipped his foot in the dating pool. Surprisingly, he's still friends with several of his exes. In 2017, the musician spoke with Dan Wooten (via Teen Vogue), sharing, "They are friends of mine still, and it's not like I had a really long relationship or anything like that. I got plenty of years ahead of me for that stuff." The years since have brought Horan some romance, and we're breaking down the romantic connections the musician has had since being in the public eye.
Holly Scally
Holly Scally is one of the few romances Niall Horan had before he blew up to superstardom. According to People, Horan and Scally dated in 2010 before he auditioned for "The X Factor." Although details of this early relationship are scarce, Scally did spill some details to Now Magazine (via J-14). "I was 13 when I first kissed Niall," she said. "We met at the school disco and got on really well. After that, we started hanging out, but it was another 18 months until we started dating. Niall was 16 and I was 14. He was lovely — funny, cheeky and kind." The teenage romance was sweet and innocent, but it wouldn't last long.
The same year he started his relationship with Scally, Horan went on to audition for "The X Factor." It wouldn't be long before the musician's life would change upon joining the widely successful boy band One Direction. As his fame grew, Horan's relationship with Scally faltered. It was hard for him to keep up his relationship with his newfound fame. Scally told Now about the breakup, sharing, "One day Niall called and said, 'I think we should finish because I never see you.' I said, 'Yeah I know.' I understood. So it's cool ... I tried to sound like it was no big deal but it was a bit sad for me."
Zoe Whelan
Zoe Whelan was the start of Niall Horan's star-studded romances. While she may not be widely known, Whelan is a model. According to Capital FM, the pair began dating in 2013 after meeting backstage at a One Direction concert. A source told The Sun (via Capital FM), "Niall has been secretly seeing Zoe for a couple of months after he met her backstage. She's a Dubliner but is based in London to work on her modeling career." Things got pretty serious between the two, as Whelan was introduced to the entire Horan family after she attended the wedding of the "Slow Hands" singer's brother in March 2013.
However, just months into their relationship, Horan and Whelan's romance would end, and according to a source from The Mirror, it was because of the musician's busy One Direction schedule. They told the outlet, "It is all over for Niall and Zoe – and it is completely because of his side of things. Obviously, it was always going to be hard to have an ongoing relationship when his job has him traveling around so much." The source claims that there was no effort on Horan's side to keep up with the relationship, and by the sounds of it, it seems that the musician might have ghosted the model. They said, "She hasn't even had a text from him, let alone a call, for nearly two weeks. It's cruel the way he's done it, and she's obviously a bit devastated it's over."
Barbara Palvin
Not long after his romance with Zoe Whelan, Niall Horan moved on with another famous model. The "Story of My Life" singer was connected to Barbara Palvin once the two were spotted holding hands after an "X Factor U.K." wrap party, per E! News. But the romance might not have been anything at all — when the photos of the two holding hands emerged, Horan's reps told outlets that the two were "just friends."
The brief PDA was the only time Palvin and Horan were spotted publicly. It seemed that they were just friends, and the former Victoria's Secret model confirmed there was no romance in an interview with Digital Spy. She shared, "He's my friend. I've always been a girl [who] hangs out with boys, and I'm not going to change that, even though people write stuff about me."
Palvin explained that she has always been a tomboy and has gotten along with guys, and Horan just happened to be one of those guys. The model had nothing but great things to say about the musician, despite there not being a romantic connection. "He's a lovely guy — fun, Irish, sarcastic all the time," she enthused. She went on to speak about the rest of the 1D boys, saying, "I like them too, they're all very nice people. They're all so hot." Although there might not have been any romance, Palvin didn't deny that all the band members were good-looking, and who could blame her?
Ellie Goulding
Niall Horan and Ellie Goulding had a relationship surrounded by drama. It's unclear when the two began dating, but their romance started to make headlines after they had broken up. Rumors circulated that the track "Don't" by Ed Sheeran was about Goulding and Horan. This was a controversial theory, because the song talks about a woman cheating on Sheeran with another man. He sings, "Trust and respect is what we do this for / I never intended to be next / But you didn't need to take him to bed, that's all/ And I never saw him as a threat / Until you disappeared with him to have sex, of course." The rumor ran wild as many believed Horan was the man who stole Goulding from Sheeran. It got so bad that the "Love Me Like You Do" singer finally addressed all the speculation.
In 2015, Goulding told Elle U.K., "I did go on a few dates with Niall, but I was never in a relationship with Ed. I have absolutely no idea where that [the rumors about 'Don't'] came from and why it was turned into such a big thing." Although Horan and Sheeran never publicly spoke about the gossip, Goulding continued denying the cheating allegations. Despite the drama surrounding their brief romance, the musician still reflected on Horan with nothing but admiration. In 2016, she told Seventeen, "We're still friends. We went on a few dates, and it was really fun. He's a really, really lovely guy."
Melissa Whiteclaw
Melissa Whiteclaw was one of Niall Horan's few post-fame partners who wasn't a major celebrity. Whiteclaw was a student when she began her relationship with Horan in February 2015. The Mirror reports that the couple met while the musician was on tour with One Direction in Sydney, Australia. It's unclear how they crossed paths, but the couple seemed to confirm their romance when they were spotted at a nightclub in April 2015, walking hand in hand. However, like many of his past relationships, Horan and Whiteclaw's romance didn't last long with his busy schedule.
A source spilled details to The Mirror on how Horan and Whiteclaw managed to keep their relationship out of the limelight, but ultimately, they knew it would be tough keeping up any sort of romance with Horan's lifestyle. "They were really close and had fun whenever they went out together," the source said. "But realistically they always knew it was going to be tough, keeping a relationship going with such distance between them. He now intends to focus totally on the band."
Horan's intention may have been to focus on the band, but just a couple of months after calling it quits with Whiteclaw, the musician was already sparking new romance rumors with a fellow famous singer.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez may have a type — famous blonde musicians. In 2015, the "Single Soon" singer sparked romance rumors with One Direction star Niall Horan after they reportedly cozied up at a party. A source told Us Weekly that the two musicians were all over one another at Jenna Dewan's 35th birthday bash. "Niall and Selena were seen kissing in the middle of the club, in front of everyone," the source claimed.
According to several people who spoke to the outlet, the musicians seemed very much like a couple at the party. One source said, "Niall and Selena definitely seemed very close and like they were together. Niall got there first with his bodyguard, then the next thing I know, I looked over and Selena was there. They were very close together, talking and whispering." Gomez even reportedly left with Horan after the night was over, but despite all the eyewitnesses, the "Love You Like a Love Song" singer denied the speculation.
When asked by ET whether she and Horan were romantically connected, she quickly put the rumors to rest. She said, "Oh my god! No. I love him, I always have. He's amazing." Gomez might have denied the romance, but fans have continued speculating that something had happened between the two. It didn't help that at the height of all the gossip, Horan appeared on a Carpool Karaoke segment and chose to marry Gomez in a game of "sleep with, marry, go on a cruise with."
Celine Van Dycke
Niall Horan went several months of living the single life after his reported brief fling with Selena Gomez. But it wasn't long before he went public with a new romance. In July 2016, Horan kicked off summer with a new romance with Celine Van Dycke, per The U.K. Sun. The pair were spotted getting close during the British Summertime Festival in Hyde Park. A source shared, "Niall never let Celine out of his sight and looked infatuated. He had his arm around her throughout the evening and kept going in to peck her on the cheek while they watched the gig." Not much is known about the romance, but it didn't last long.
By September 2016, the former One Direction member confirmed his relationship status to Sirius XM radio, revealing his love life was "nonexistent, currently." After his relationship with Van Dycke, Horan remained single for a while. In September 2017, nearly a year after he split from Van Dycke, the singer revealed to "Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie" that he was still "single." While many fans may have hoped to be Horan's next leading lady, the musician broke hearts around the world when he began a relationship with another A-list celebrity.
Hailee Steinfeld
Niall Horan first sparked his relationship with Hailee Steinfeld in February 2018 after the two were spotted at a Backstreet Boys performance, per People. At the time, Horan was more into Steinfeld than she was into him, because the "Hawkeye" star was recently single. A source told the outlet, "She's not actively pursuing anything. Niall is really into her but she's unsure if she wants to get into something new right away." However, the couple couldn't deny their connection, and by August 2018, they confirmed their romance with a public kiss, per People.
Despite Steinfeld and Horan being big stars, the couple kept their romance pretty low-key. In October 2018, Steinfeld spoke to Cosmopolitan about falling in love, and while she didn't name Horan explicitly, many fans made the connection to her newfound romance with the singer. She shared, "When you fall in love, you pick up on the tiniest things about yourself ... When you love who you are with that person ... there's nothing that compares." Many felt the "Pitch Perfect" star could be the one for Horan as their romance continued to go strong, but the couple called it quits months later.
In December 2018, Horan and Steinfeld's relationship ended. A source told E! News the reason behind the split. "Hailee realized she had a lot on her plate and her work schedule was insanely busy," they explained. "She was gearing up for a huge press tour for her new movie ... They really tried to make it work."
Amelia Woolley
Amelia Woolley might be it for Niall Horan. According to People, the former One Direction member has been dating the account manager since 2020. Like many of his past relationships, Horan has kept his romance with Wooley largely out of the spotlight. In 2021, the couple did make their relationship public when they attended a charity event and posed for pictures on the red carpet.
Although they have kept their relationship low-key, Horan did briefly open up about Wooley during an interview with ET Canada and shared how she has become a source of inspiration for his music, per Today. "Usually it's the love songs are heartbreak songs, so it's nice to be able to write better, you know, more happier stuff," he said.
As for why Horan is happier when it comes to love, it clearly has something to do with his romance with Woolley. And how does she feel about being his muse? Well, she's a bit shocked. Horan explained, "I think she's just like, what? Really? She's like, taken aback, I suppose." If Woolley and Horan's relationship continues to go the way it's been going, we can only imagine that the account manager will continue to inspire the musician.