Harry Styles says outgoing girlfriend changed his life by getting him outdoors

Harry Styles says an outgoing girlfriend changed his life by helping him go out in public again after years of staying indoors. He made the admission to Radiohead singer Thom Yorke in Rolling Stone's "Musicians on Musicians" cover conversation, published Oct. 8. The pair sat down together in London for the interview. Rolling Stone

Styles told Yorke the two had first bumped into each other while both out walking in Rome. Walking matters to him. In his early One Direction days, he said, hotel stays felt locked in and even being at home felt unsafe for going out. Billboard

That changed when a girlfriend who was very outgoing came to visit him in London. She wanted to be outside. Instead of sitting inside his house for three days, they walked everywhere.

Styles said the experience gave him a simple realisation: it is fine to be outside. It broke his fear. It helped him stay connected to the world. He called the change life-changing.

Yorke listened as Styles laid out the story. The interview reunited two musicians with recent stage history. Styles was the surprise presenter who handed Yorke his honour at the 2026 Ivor Novello Awards, the British awards that celebrate songwriters and composers.

He gave a five-minute speech to introduce the Radiohead frontman, who received the Fellowship of The Ivors Academy at the 71st edition of the event. Styles, as presenter, inducted Yorke into the Ivors Academy during the night. Billboard

During that speech Styles called Radiohead his favourite band. He also told the audience he had lost his virginity while listening to the band's 1996 song "Talk Show Host." At the same ceremony Yorke played a new song, "Space Walk," for the first time. Rolling Stone

What makes this stand out is the direct link Styles draws between private life and public life. He describes long walks, not a strategy. The message is practical.

For fans, the conversation arrives in a busy live period for Styles. He kicked off his Together, Together Tour in Amsterdam in May, after reports in January linked his live return to the BRIT Awards. The Yorke interview puts touring, songwriting and fame in one frame, told by two people who have lived with all three.