Harry Styles 'so cheeky'

Harry Styles was apparently very "flirty and sweet" when he met Sinitta.

The One Direction singer found fame on The X Factor UK in 2010 after being teamed up with bandmates Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne by Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger.

Simon often invites his ex-girlfriend Sinitta, 45, onto the show to offer her musical expertise. She says the 20-year-old heartthrob was very forward when she met him.

"He's always been a cheeky boy!" she laughed to British magazine Star.

"I'm aware I looked young for my age when One Direction were on The X Factor and I remember having to remind him that I was old enough to be his mother!

"It's just what Harry does. He's very flirty and sweet and he loves women. That's not a bad thing! But for me, he's definitely forbidden fruit."

Simon is returning to the British X Factor as a judge for the next series. He has his hands full, as he and girlfriend Lauren Silverman welcomed baby Eric in February.

Sinitta recently joked she will "corrupt" her former flame's baby and revealed what she's got up her sleeve.

"I'm going to buy him lots of noisy toys!" she giggled.

"Simon doesn't do mornings, but over the years he's given my children so many noisy toys and says, 'You can play with this in mommy's bedroom!' I'm going to be wrapping them all up and sending them right back!"