Perrie Edwards has defended Louis Tomlinson after his arrest at Los Angeles' LAX airport on Friday (03Mar17).
The former One Direction star is said to have pulled a paparazzo, who was standing too close to him and girlfriend Eleanor Calder, to the ground. The cameraman fell backwards and hit his head on the floor, while video footage of the incident appears to show Eleanor being set upon by a group of girls, leading to Louis jumping to his girlfriend's defence.
As one quarter of girl band Little Mix, Perrie got to know Louis through her ex-fiance, former 1D star Zayn Malik. And during an interview with Canadian TV show etalk, Perrie insisted that Louis shouldn't be criticized for his actions.
"It's a hard situation because you don't know how you would act unless you're in that situation, but Louis is such a nice guy," Perrie explained. "When you watch the video, all he's doing is protecting his girlfriend like any normal guy would... But because he's in what was one of the biggest bands in the world people are just going to be constantly on him, which I think is unfair for him and Eleanor."
Perrie's bandmate Jesy Nelson added: "I just think that sometimes people can forget that you're a human being. Like, they get so caught up in the fact that they see you on TV and it's not real life to them."
The Little Mix girls are the latest celebrities to jump to Louis' defence. Saturday Night Live star Alec Baldwin suggested during an interview with British breakfast news show Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (07Mar17) that it might be time for Louis to get a bodyguard.
"It's never a good idea to respond, but if you do, I say to people they got the better of you, try to do better," he advised. "When you're young and you don't have a wife or especially children, take my advice, use that money now to get a bodyguard."
According to TMZ.com, Louis' case has now been sent to the Los Angeles City Attorney, who will review it and decide whether it's suitable for criminal prosecution.
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