When Louis Tomlinson cries, we cry. The singer shed a few tears on the latest episode of X Factor when he watched the performance of a past contestant, Anthony Russell, who had to quit the show last season. Turns out, Louis actually helped arrange for the singer to go to rehab so that he could get the help he needed. And now, he’s back on the show in a much healthier place. The singer performed Avicii’s “Wake Me Up,” and Louis got quite choked up during it.

louis

ITV

Don’t worry Louis, we’ll wipe away your tears! Simon Cowell has opened up about how much he loves judging the show with Louis, and it seriously makes our hearts burst. You know, considering the fact that Simon feels like a father figure to the boys of One Direction. After the group lost X Factor, Simon took the boys under his wing and launched them into major stardom. So yeah, it is most definitely safe to say 1D wouldn’t have ever been what they became to be if it wasn’t for Simon. As a matter of fact, Simon has always had a strong bond with Louis in particular.

“There’s a really strong bond between us, we’ve always been close,” Simon said in an interview with MailOnline. “From the beginning of One Direction I talked to Louis so much. So when we’ve been auditioning on X Factor in the past I’m always curious to hear what he likes – he knows I’m not a huge fan of all the guitar acts, so we wind each other up about that. You want people with strong opinions.”

simon louis

Getty

Wow, Louis being added to the judge panel of X Factor is seriously the greatest thing to happen to the show since One Direction. OUR HEARTS. Watch Anthony’s full performance and Louis’ reaction in the video below.

Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.