Bookies issue break-up odds as One Direction confirms 2016 hiatus

Parents across the world are bracing themselves for the period of teenage angst, as the remaining members of One Direction (Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Niall Horan) announce that they will take a planned break for 2016.

1D managed by X Factor executive producer Simon Cowell’s Syco Music have confirmed that the band will release their fifth album this Christmas. The announcement of their 2016 hiatus comes five months after Zayn Malik quit the pop group to pursue solo interests.

UK news sources have reported that the remaining band members held private talks to decide whether to end One Direction, prior to their decision of taking a one year break.

Bookmaker Coral react first to today’s announcement,  by offering odds of 1-3 that the group returns by the end of 2017, while they are 9-4 not to get back together again.

“Although the band may be going a different direction for the short-term future, we make them odds-on to return as a group by the end of 2017,” said Coral PR Spokesman John Hill.

“The betting also suggests they could have success as solo artists as we are odds-on for any member of the group to have a UK number solo single by the end of 2016,” added Hill.

One Direction final show will be at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield on October 31, the group is estimated to have sold over 50 million albums worldwide