Harry Styles Says He Used To Feel Ashamed About His Sex Life

Former One Direction star Harry Styles has revealed he used to feel 'ashamed' about his sex life and struggled with working out who he could trust.

The 28-year-old, who is rumoured to be dating actor Olivia Wilde, discussed issues he'd experienced relating to intimacy, dating and love after spending his late teens and early 20s in the public eye.

Styles rose to fame after appearing on The X Factor when he was just 16 years old, and was still a teenager when journalists first began asking questions about how many people he'd slept with.

In a recent interview with Better Homes and Gardens, Styles reflected on having 'cleanliness clauses' in his contracts that would mean they would be null and void if he did anything 'unsavoury'. It wasn't until he signed his solo contract and learned his ability to make music would not be affected by personal transgressions that he felt 'free', he explained.

With so much of his life being laid out for all to see or controlled by others, Styles explained that for a long time it felt as though his sex life was 'the only thing that was [his]'.

"I felt so ashamed about it, ashamed at the idea of people even knowing that I was having sex, let alone who with. At the time, there were still the kiss-and-tell things. Working out who I could trust was stressful," he said.

Eventually, though, Styles did get to a place where he questioned why he felt ashamed, recalling thinking: "I'm a 26-year-old man who's single; it's like, yes, I have sex."

The Watermelon Sugar singer, who has received mixed opinions for choosing to wear dresses on occasion, went on to express belief it is 'outdated' that he is expected to lay out the specifics of his sex life.

Though he has been 'really open with it' with friends, he stressed it's his 'personal experience'.

"It's mine. The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn't matter, and it's about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you're checking."

While there are aspects of his fame that Styles may have wanted to be different, the pop star stressed he has 'absolutely loved' his rise to fame and still feels lucky every day to be able to make music and do what he loves.