Really, there was only story on everyone's lips after the Oscars this year wasn't there? No, not that one. The other one.
Liam Payne from boyband One Direction seemed to have chosen the evening to do a random soft-launch of a brand new accent which many took to Twitter to claim was Welsh, or Irish, or at least something anyway.
But his friend Ant Middleton thinks the whole thing might have been a wind up. Speaking on Good Morning Britain this morning, Ant Middleton was asked about his newly accented friend by presenter Ranvir Singh who said: "What's going on with Liam Payne's accent?"
Read more: ITV Good Morning Britain viewers think the same thing as Richard Madeley interviews Ant Middleton
Ant replied: "'I don't know. I'll have to find out because I'm exactly like you. He went into about five accents, didn't he?" He added: "Knowing Liam, he's quite a comedian," which caused Ranvir to press him saying: "Do you think he was putting it on?" Ant replied: "Yeah, he likes to wind a few people up but he's a great guy and I look forward to touching base with him."
Liam Payne caused a stir when he stepped onto the red carpet to give his take on the whole Will Smith slapping Chris Rock situation. Speaking to Good Morning Britain after the event, the star's accent seemed to have taken on an unusual twang which no one could quite place.
One viewer tweeted: "Wtf is Liam Payne accent about?! He’s from Wolverhampton! Spanish American Irish mix," while another said: "Why is he talking like that? Very odd."
Some even thought the one-directioner sounded a bit Welsh with one tweeting: "I spent 19 years growing up in Wales yet Liam Payne somehow has a stronger Welsh accent than me?!" and another said: "Since when was Liam Payne Welsh?
People seemed to think his accent sounded a little bit Irish, a little bit American and still somehow retained his hometown vibes from Wolverhampton. One said: "What has happened to his voice?" while another agreed: "Should have told Liam it was for a British TV show so he didn’t need to have that bizarre accent."
Liam Payne, aged 28, is one-fifth of the boyband One Direction. He was born in Wolverhampton but has spent time living in California. He has a son named Bear with singer, Cheryl Tweedy.
