Louis Tomlinson eager to step up charity work during band hiatus

One Direction star Louis Tomlinson is planning to get more involved in charity work once the boyband embarks on its 2016 hiatus.

The Story of My Life singers will step away from the spotlight for a year-long break in March (16), and although Louis is set to become a first-time dad in the coming months, he is hoping to also use his free time to help some good causes.

"Being my age and being able to be in a position where I can help people out and give opportunities to other people is the most exciting thing to me," he tells America's Entertainment Weekly. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I do aim to have a couple months' downtime to see the family, go home, do all that stuff, but yeah, I do hope to be busy, as well."

Louis is also aiming to keep his creative juices flowing by continuing to write songs with his bandmate Liam Payne during their time off.

"I enjoy that, with Liam...," the Brit says. "We definitely will (keep writing). I'm sure we will."

And Liam isn't the only One Direction star Louis will be keeping in touch with: "I'm sure we'll all see each other over time. No doubt about that."

The singer is expecting his first child with his one-time lover, Los Angeles-based stylist Briana Jungwirth, but before he becomes bogged down with daddy duties, he is aiming to enjoy a boys-only vacation with his bandmates.

"We're gonna plan to go on a little lads' holiday," he recently told UK show Good Morning Britain.

However, the band has a lot more work to do before the hiatus. One Direction are due to wrap up their On The Road Again Tour at the end of the month (Oct15), and their new album, Made in the A.M. is due for release on 13 November (15).

Meanwhile, Louis is also petitioning Simon Cowell to offer him a permanent seat on the judging panel for Britain's The X Factor - the same show the music mogul discovered One Direction on in 2010 - after featuring as a guest mentor during the current season.

"I've handed my CV (resume) to Simon for next year's show, so we will see how it goes," he told Britain's The Sun newspaper. "It's definitely something I am thinking about. I am the biggest X Factor fan and I would love to be there week in, week out and really give that level of passion. I think I would be a decent judge."