What The Headlines Do Not Say About Harry Styles

Louis Tomlinson is not the only misunderstood One Direction member. While Harry Styles is commonly perceived by fans as the kind and accommodating crooner, the press still chooses to highlight his image as a lothario. Who would forget the interviewer who nonchalantly asked him, “You’re the womanizer, right?” What some don’t know is that like Tomlinson, the 21-year-old has a fondness for helping behind the camera.

When Styles turned 19, Ed Sheeran revealed that his pal spent around £3,000 ($4,300) on pizzas and spent his birthday delivering them to the homeless in Los Angeles. “Harry only came into this huge amount of wealth in the past two years, so he doesn’t take it for granted at all. He’s really generous and likes feeling like he does some good in the world,” the “Photograph” singer told 95.5 WPLJ Radio.

It seems that the Cheshire native has no problem spending his rest day on charitable deeds. In April 2015, while One Direction was in South Africa for the On the Road Again world tour, Styles slipped off to meet underprivileged students in Cape Town. The Lalela Project charity helps these students unleash their creative potentials despite their disadvantaged backgrounds. One source said that Styles talked to the students about their lives and offered them complimentary concert tickets.

“Harry could easily have spent extra time at his hotel relaxing. But he really wants to give back when the band are travelling the world and he likes to take these things on himself. This tour hasn’t been easy for the boys but he knows that their lives are far better than many of their fans’ and kids being helped by projects like this.”

The “Drag Me Down” hit maker knows how blessed he is that he visits charity shops from time to time to personally deliver bags of his own designer clothes. Styles reportedly recognizes that he’s in an incredibly privileged position, and that he’d rather donate the clothes than let them gather dust in boxes. He also did the same thing when he donated two giant teddy bears from his personal collection to the Bald is Beautiful charity. The eight-foot teddy bears from design company Steiff were precious to Styles, but he knew that they would help many.

Styles also once treated a 16-year-old cancer-stricken fan like a princess. With the help of Rays of Sunshine charity, the fan got to meet One Direction, but it didn’t stop there because she was ushered into another room where Styles gave her a necklace with a diamond heart pendant. When another fan had a panic attack upon meeting the boys at a book signing event in London, Styles ignored the security guard’s instruction, approached the fan, and spent three minutes hugging and consoling her.

He was likewise the first to approach a “fan” having an asthma attack. Years ago, jokers Ant and Dec pulled a prank on One Direction in a New Zealand breakfast TV show. The comedians in disguise made it appear that they were so excited to meet the boys and when they did, Dec started hyperventilating. The boys were so worried, but it was Styles who stood up and held Dec while asking him to breathe properly.

Styles is currently making headlines for his budding romance with Kendall Jenner. Nonetheless, the headlines that his relationships yield shouldn’t make people forget that underneath the Casanova reputation are his little yet moving acts of kindness.

[Image via Kevin Winter/Getty Images]