Boybands let girls fall in love for the first time – so grief for Liam Payne is heartbreakingly painful

With their perfect hair, kindly demeanour and songs about thrilling romance, boybands such as One Direction induce feelings that have much to teach us about life

The first time I fell in love, I was 13. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach constantly. I took any opportunity to mention my love, no matter how tangential to the conversation. If the subject came up organically, I felt as if I could burst with joy. I never met them, but that didn't make the feelings any less real. That I was in love with Take That was irrelevant: it was love all the same.

When the British boyband split up in 1996, the press conference was broadcast live. During the Q&A, a journalist from BBC Manchester told the sombre group: We've just had a 14-year-old fan phone in tears. What's your message to her?" Looking a little befuddled, Mark Owen replied: Erm ... we're sorry, I suppose."