He's renowned for being one of the nicest blokes in pop, but Harry Styles found himself at the centre of a Twitter storm yesterday when he was accused of 'spitting' on actor Chris Pine at the Venice Film Festival.
Some wildly claimed that footage showed the the former One Direction star spitting on his Don't Worry Darling co-star Chris - although this has since been debunked by a video of the full incident.
It turns out Chris' surprised look had nothing to do with Harry and everything to do with suddenly finding the sunglasses he thought he'd lost.
A rep for Chris said:"This is a ridiculous story - a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation.
"Just to be clear, Harry Styles did not spit on Chris Pine. There is nothing but respect between these two men and any suggestion otherwise is a blatant attempt to create drama that simply does not exist."
But the furore has sparked a conversation about what Cheshire-born Harry, 28, is actually like in real life.
According to fans that have come face-to-face with the former bakery worker, he is goodness personified.
For more of the news you care about, straight to your inbox, sign up for one of our daily newsletters here.
From helping fans come out on stage at his shows, to offering dating advice and defending his teenage followers when they're accused of being 'uncool', in public Harry has a solid reputation as a stand-up guy.
One told on Reddit how an 'emotional' chance meeting in London in February 2020 saw a charming Harry spend ages chatting to both her and her dad.
"I was really overwhelmed and emotional and he took time to speak to me, he kept thanking me for my support and telling me that he loved and appreciated me, meanwhile I was completely speechless," the fan said.
"On top of that he asked if I would like a picture and my hands were shaking so bad that he offered to hold the phone for me. Keep in mind he could have just taken a simple picture and left but he took time out of his day to make sure I was doing well and then proceeded to talk to my father before he left."
There's no denying the star is famed for his good manners - something his finance worker dad Desmond Styles credits Harry's mum, Anne Twist, for.
"He's polite and well mannered, he's trained up properly, but it wasn't me, of course not, it would be Anne," Des - who split from Anne when Harry was just seven - once told the Daily Record.
"But in his younger years, it was me. I say show me the lad at seven and I'll show you the man, so I was there then.
"He's just got this fantastic personable demeanour to him. Clearly he's a bit special.
"It's not just his looks but he's very charming, it’s like a gift really. I always knew he'd succeed at whatever he did because he'd always charm people, from performing in the car or on holiday he'd always be able to hold a crowd or hold a room even when he was a kid."
But despite is undeniable charm, Harry was crowned Villain of the Year twice in a row by NME, beating the likes of David Cameron and Vladimir Putin to the unflattering title.
At the time, he'd developed a reputation as a heart-breaker following on-off romances with Kendall Jenner and Taylor Swift.
He broke up with the latter after an 'almighty row' on a New Year holiday to the British Virgin Islands which saw Taylor head home after just three days.
Their split reportedly inspired her revenge tracks I Knew You Were Trouble and Out of the Woods and years later Taylor admitted that the 'number one feeling' she experienced in their courtship was anxiety'.
"It felt very fragile, it felt very tentative," she said. "And it always felt like, 'Okay, what's the next road block? What's the next thing that's gonna deter this? How long do we have before this turns into just an awful mess and we break up?"
There's also rumoured bad feeling between Harry and his former One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik, who claimed they were never friends in the group, and they certainly aren't now.
"To be honest, I never really spoke to Harry even when I was in the band," Zayn told Us Weekly.
"So I didn’t really expect that much of a relationship with him when I left. And I haven't [had one], to be honest."
But band member Liam Payne paints his friendship with Harry in a very different light, insisting he is as nice a man as everyone thinks and revealing he called him to offer comfort following his split from model Maya Henry.
"I did speak to Harry, and it was really lovely," Liam divulged in an Instagram Q and A.
"He called me because he has a sixth sense for if I’m struggling or if one of us is in trouble, I feel like.
"I've got a lot of love for the man. He's great, he’s really, really great… It's hard in this position sometimes, you're watching people’s stories from afar that you used to know so well."
As for his current girlfriend, Olivia Wilde, she has made no secret of her adoration for the star and everything he stands for.
After hiring him to appear in Don't Worry Darling, the actress and director gushed about his complete lack of 'toxic masculinity'.
"To me, he's very modern and I hope that this brand of confidence as a male that Harry has - truly devoid of any traces of toxic masculinity - is indicative of his generation and therefore the future of the world.
"I think he is in many ways championing that, spearheading that. It's pretty powerful and kind of extraordinary to see someone in his position redefining what it can mean to be a man with confidence."
Have you got a story to share? We want to hear all about it. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
