They used to be my friends ..but now they just HATE me; ONE D HARRY'S TORMENTAT HOME TOWN BULLIES.

Byline: James Davies

HARRY Styles is devastated by a vicious hail of hate from bullies jealous of his popstar fame.

The People can reveal the One Direction heart-throb is "shocked and upset" at the backlash. And what hurts most is the sickest abuse has come from his HOME town.

Harry, 18, barely had time to enjoy his superstar lifestyle before the ugly side of becoming a celebrity reared its head.

He told a pal: "I don't understand why people have turned against me."

The close schooldays friend talked exclusively to The People about how Harry loves coming back to his roots.

But he revealed the singer has been hit for six by bitter waves of resentment.

He also told how dating Xtra Factor presenter Caroline Flack, 32, made a big impression on his teenage pal.

The young star admitted his brief relationship with the older woman was the most "physical" he had ever had.

Former classmate and bandmate Will Sweeny, 19, spoke for the first time about how Harry was troubled by the abuse from locals in his Cheshire home.

Will said: "There's been a lot of jealousy and resentment in Holmes Chapel towards Harry, particularly towards his success.

"It's so sad. A lot of these people used to be his friends but now they hate him.

"They say it's because he left us and dropped us for fame and fortune.

"It really upsets Harry because he's a sensitive guy. He doesn't understand it either. People call him a d**khead and refer to him as that t**t. More recently he's had abuse on network sites and chatrooms.

"He's had quite a few tweets and comments posted on Facebook and on the internet from people calling him names.

"It gets him down and when he comes back to see his family he just likes to keep out of the way of some people because of what they've said.

"He thought people would be proud of him. The last thing he expected was to be resented by people who are just jealous of what he's achieved.

"He doesn't read the messages any more. He just ignores them now."

Harry's family, including his mum Anne Cox, 44, and sister Gemma, 21, live in a semi in Holmes Chapel.

Two months ago they moved out briefly after diehard fans became a nuisance to neighbours while Harry, who bought a pounds 575,000 flat in East London this year, was back for a visit.

Will said: "All Harry wants is for people to treat him like a normal person. He still loves it that he can come home and his family treat him like normal.

"He just wishes everyone else would do the same, especially those who have turned their back on him. In his pop career he is surrounded by people who tell him how wonderful, amazing, perfect and beautiful he is.

"But those closest to him will tell him how it is. He told me how he loves coming back and seeing real, normal people. He misses the realness.

"He said to me, 'I don't understand why people turned against me.'"

Since Harry became a star with bandmates Niall Horan, 18, Liam Payne, 18, Louis Tomlinson, 20, and Zayn Malik, 19, he has been linked with a series of high-profile women.

The most recent were US singer Lily Halpern, 19, and Irish photographer Sarah-Louise Colivet, 24.

It was a surprise when Harry dated Caroline because she is 14 years older but their relationship fizzled out after three months and ended in January.

Will said: "I remember asking Harry about Caroline and he laughed.

"He said it was more of a physical relationship than anything else. All his mates think he's a bit of a legend though. It's classic Styles.

"He definitely enjoys the attention and he's making the most of it."

Will said he thinks Harry's favourite girl now is Arnold Schwarzenegger's 22-year-old daughter Katherine.

"He likes Kim Kardashian but the person that surprised me, because it was so random when he said it, was Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter.

"Harry just came out and said it one day. He thinks she's really nice."

Earlier this year Katherine tweeted: "@Harry_Styles is a cutie indeed!" Will continued: "Of course there have been other girls but I can't really tell you.

"Harry always had a girlfriend. He always wanted to be in a relationship and wasn't a type to jump around with lots of different girls.

"He was definitely a hit with the ladies but he just wanted to be with a girl he liked. There was this one particular girl Fliss Skinner, who was Harry's first proper girlfriend.

"We'd go on crazy missions just to surprise her. He didn't even know where she lived so we went to Birmingham on absolutely nothing other than the fact that we knew she lived in the Solihull area.

"Harry was like, 'Let's just go and find her.' It was pouring with rain and it took hours to find her.

"At school he had about five different girlfriends but the first definitely serious one he had was Fliss.

"He really cared about her but they were both young and it didn't work out. Girlfriend-wise he was always very romantic. He was very thoughtful and really listened to them. He's quite sensitive, really.

"The perfect girl for Harry? Just be yourself. He doesn't care what you look like or your hair colour or what you dress like.

"As long as you have a really nice personality and are a nice person, that's all that matters.

"The advice I'd give is just be nice and normal because that's what he's always gone for. When he became famous I think at first he was really overwhelmed but now this is his reality and everything that is happening to him is just normal now."

Harry also talked to Will about his relationship with Simon Cowell, who snapped up One Direction to his SyCo label after they finished third on X Factor in 2010. "Harry says Simon is an absolute gentlemen," Will revealed. "He calls him the boss.

"In real life Simon is very different to his on-screen persona, apparently. He's very down to earth and generous. Harry definitely likes him a lot. Simon just says, 'Spend what you like.' He lets them buy what they want. I think Simon even bought Harry his place in London and is going to buy him a car.

"At one stage his house was full of free gifts he'd been sent - Adidas trainers, Ray-Bans, Nikes, Ralph Lauren jumpers.

"It was ridiculous. He's had so much stuff for free. It looked like he was extravagant but he wasn't. Harry gets sent so much stuff he doesn't spend any of his money.

"He doesn't see Simon as much as he used to but he understands Simon is busy. They talk on the phone a lot and I think he has invited the boys to go on his yacht when they get some time off."

Harry won over Simon, 52, Nicole Scherzinger, 33, Louis Walsh, 59, and millions of TV viewers with Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely on his first X Factor audition. But Will, who used to be in a band with Harry called White Eskimo, says his mate never set out to be a singer.

Will recalled: "When I first asked him to join the band Harry didn't think he could sing. He didn't want to stand up on stage.

Incredible

"We asked him if he'd sing and he said, 'No, no. I can't sing. I'm not going to sing.' But he agreed he'd give it a go after a lot of persuasion and that was that."

"I think White Eskimo definitely helped him realise he could sing and that he could be a frontman. Being in the band really helped his confidence because people used to say he was a really good singer.

"There was a born performer in there. He just had to find it. When his confidence grew he was amazing. The crowd loved him, especially when he went round highfiving the audience, that sort of thing. "The X Factor was never anything he showed interest in. His mum applied for him without him knowing.

"So he came up to us one day and just said, 'My mum's entered me for the X Factor so I'm going to go do it.' "We were like, 'Cool, go do it. See how far you can get.' I went to the first ever audition with Harry.

"I think it's incredible what Harry's achieved. I couldn't be happier for him.

"We used to watch the X Factor and Pop Idol together and we used to wonder what it would be like to be them. But when one of your best friends goes off and becomes one of those people it's so unbelievable.

"White Eskimo are still going and we are doing pretty well now.

"Musically we're a lot different from One Direction. We're more rock, a mix between Blink 182 and Green Day. It's the stuff me and Harry loved and grew up to.

"We always loved the same music. We're both massive fans of Elvis too.

"When we used to drive to Manchester or go somewhere for the day, me, my mum, my stepdad and Harry just sang Elvis all the way.

The stuff Harry's singing now probably isn't the sort of music he listens to.

"At our first White Eskimo gig we had about 50 or 60 people but now we have 500.

"It's not the thousands Harry gets but it's a start. We've gained fans from Harry's popularity so that's been good for us. Harry's really proud of me, I think."

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