A Complete Look at Louis Tomlinson and Eleanor Calder's Relationship Through the Years

It was mid-2011 when Louis Tomlinson started dating Eleanor Calder. Louis had recently wrapped up The X Factor with the rest of One Direction and they were quickly seeing themselves become more and more famous. Along the way, he met Eleanor. What's funny is that the fans don't really know how they met. Many theories have floated around about it. One claims Louis's bandmate Harry Styles introduced them. One claims they met through another mutual friend. One claims someone in Eleanor's family worked with the band and introduced them. We don't know for sure, but we know the first time they were seen together publicly was in September 2011 for bandmate Niall Horan's birthday.

Eleanor shared this photo in November 2012, wishing Louis a happy one-year anniversary and telling him she loved him.

Whenever she could, Eleanor joined Louis on tour with One Direction and traveled the entire world with them over the years. Though Louis was away working for many months out of the year, Eleanor was largely still based in England finishing her degree. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2014 with a degree in sociology and Louis quietly attended her graduation ceremony to show his support.

One Direction: This Is Us was released in Summer 2013, and Eleanor was on hand to celebrate with Louis. This year and the year prior are when Louis and Eleanor were most public about their relationship, but as it progressed, they got more and more private, sharing fewer photos of themselves on social media and keeping a lower profile. Louis mentioned Eleanor in interviews from time to time and would share how well she dealt with his crazy lifestyle and dedicated fans but often refrained from spilling too much about their relationship, opting to keep Eleanor sheltered and keep their private life private.

In July 2014, Louis's mom, Johannah, got remarried, and Eleanor and Louis acted as maid of honor and best man. To put this into perspective, Johannah at the time had four daughters but asked Eleanor to be her maid of honor alongside her son. Louis's bandmates Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan all also attended the big day.

After Louis and Eleanor broke up, Eleanor devoted her time to growing her influencer status, becoming a staple at fashion shows and even starting her own fashion site with friend Max Hurd. Louis, on the other hand, had a short-lived romance with LA-based stylist Briana Jungwirth, resulting in their son, Freddie Reign. Louis then started dating actress Danielle Campbell in late 2015, and they stayed together through the following year. The timeline of the end of their relationship gets a little hazy — in a since-deleted Instagram, Danielle wished Louis a love-filled happy birthday on Dec. 24, 2016, but within days they were broken up, and by February 2017, Eleanor and Louis were back together.

Despite Eleanor and Louis being together pretty much 24/7, they have remained extremely private about their relationship. More than ever, they keep to themselves, largely to avoid any conflict with fans, who haven't always been welcoming to their relationship.

Louis and Eleanor have definitely had their ups and downs in their near-nine-year relationship, but in January, Louis told The Sun that she's it for him. "One day, yeah, I'd imagine [we'll get married]. If you're asking me if I'm going to marry her? Yes, I think so! And more kids, I'd say so."

Louis and Eleanor have spent all of 2020 together in lockdown in the UK, with Eleanor frequently sharing Instagram snaps and stories of their shared dogs, Bruce and Clifford. Though neither publicly shares much about their relationship anymore, she is still a staple at Louis's events in support and he is happy to have her at his side.