Photo: Instagram
They've been off and on since 2011.
By Sloane Solomon — Written on Oct 26, 2018
As a member of one of the most popular boy bands of all time, Louis Tomlinson has become a pretty recognizable public face. His success that came with being a part of the mega-popular band One Direction and his continued career after as a solo artist and X-Factor judge is certainly no secret.
However, his personal life is a different story. Many may not know that Tomlinson has been involved in an on-and-off relationship with Eleanor Calder for quite a few years now. But, it appears that the couple are currently back on. So who is Eleanor Calder?
Here are some details about Louis Tomlinson's girlfriend.
1. They first got together in 2011.
Calder's relationship with the singer actually goes way back. The duo started dating in 2011 when Tomlinson was just beginning his successful career. They were seen on dates together and Calder was a regular fixture at his concerts.
2. They broke up in 2015.
Tomlinson and Calder dated for four years until parting ways in 2015, citing Tomlinson's busy tour schedule as the main cause. “They tried really hard to make it work but it was just impossible," a source told Hollywood Life. "He’s away for nine months a year and they just grew apart.”
3. Calder has a degree from the University of Manchester.
The 26-year-old attended the University of Manchester in England where she obtained her degree in sociology and politics.
4. She has a flourishing career.
In addition to being a successful model, Calder also had a now-defunct fashion blog called The Trend Pear that she runs with her best friend, Max Hurd. In an interview, she expressed how passionate she was about the blog. "We don’t necessarily have an end goal, something that we’re striving towards one hundred percent. As long as people are still enjoying it and like following it, we love doing it. We get to spend all of our time together and we really enjoy doing the blog, so as long as people are still interested than we’ll keep it going."
Calder also has a very large social media following. Her Instagram page alone has over 3 million followers.
5. They got back together in 2017.
The singer and Calder started their romance up again in 2017 after Tomlinson's mom passed away. According to The Sun, Calder and Tomlinson's mother were close. A source told The Sun, “Eleanor was very close to Johannah and was even maid of honour at her 2014 wedding to husband Dan. No doubt she will have been devastated by her passing and keen to show Louis support.”
This time, they dropped a lot of hints about their rekindled relationship. Tomlinson based his single, Miss You, on Calder. He even revealed the story behind the song. Speaking about the track, Louis said: "I wrote this song about a time in my life when I was going out partying every night. In hindsight throughout that time I was pretty numb and just going through the motions. Deep down it was always in the back of my mind that what I really missed was the girl that I loved. It was important for me to write something really honest."
They also celebrated their renewed relationship with matching tattoos. Tomlinson got a tiny "E" inked onto his hand, while Calder got an "L" tattooed on her finger.
6. Tomlinson had other relationships during the couple's break.
The singer had relationships with actress Danielle Campbell and with stylist Briana Jungwirth during the period when he and Calder were broken up. Tomlinson also had a son, Freddie, with Jungwirth, who's now 2.
7. Does Jungwirth want to get back with Tomlinson?
Jungwirth reportedly wanted to rekindle her relationship with Tomlinson, but a friend of Jungwirth's eventually cleared the air on this. Briana’s friend, Luke Poole, told Heat, “I think that maybe for a second, Briana did hope they’d get closer. I don’t think she knew about that at first. I don’t think it’s ever going to get to that level where they get back together. Louis and Briana are getting along right now, and everything is going well.”
However, Jungwirth is still very protective of her son and reportedly has some rules regarding when he's with Tomlinson and Calder. “Freddie wouldn’t be allowed to stay with the new girlfriend unless Louis was there too. I’m sure if Eleanor is going to be around Louis, then the kid will be around her. Briana is protective so she is definitely going to want to know her. They will definitely have to meet for sure. It may be awkward. It will be awkward for Eleanor, not Briana.”
The friend also said that Jungwirth doesn't want their son involved in any social media posts.
8. Were Tomlinson and Calder engaged?
The couple have been swarmed with engagement and marriage rumors for a long time. In one of the more notable instances of this, fans were almost certain that they had gotten engaged in 2014 after the hashtag "HappyEngagementElounor" started trending on Twitter. Although whether or not the couple did actually get engaged during that time was never officially confirmed, it did happen before they broke up.
The marriage rumors resurfaced in 2017 after Tomlinson and Calder had started dating again. A source claimed that the singer was eager to get married to Calder. “He really wants to get married to Eleanor,” a source told Hollywood Life. “As far as he‘s concerned, he knows she’s The One — so why should they wait? Eleanor wants to take things a lot slower, though. She’s still nervous after it all went wrong before and doesn’t want to make any hasty mistakes. Plus, they’re both still so young.”
However, the source also revealed that Calder thinks that neither of them are ready for marriage yet. “Eleanor‘s just happy to be back with Louis and is really enjoying their time together,” the source continues. “She doesn’t want to add any additional pressure right now. Eleanor‘s also concerned that Louis is still working through his feelings about his mom’s death and that he may not be thinking with a clear head. She’s told him to just chill, enjoy being back together again and take one day at a time.”
Sloane Solomon is a YourTango editor and writer who covers pop culture, lifestyle topics, and love and relationships.