Nicole Scherzinger and Harry Styles ‘engaged in dalliance’

Singer Nicole Scherzinger and One Direction star Harry Styles reportedly engaged in a "dalliance" more than once within the past two years.

The 37-year-old former Pussycat Dolls songstress is responsible for the formation of the hit boy band. She put the group together while serving as a judge on the seventh season of The X Factor UK, a singing competition which catapulted the pop band into superstardom.

Nicole was engaged in an off and on relationship with Formula One champion racer Lewis Hamilton for several years until they put a firm end to the romance in February 2015.

And when they were taking a break in 2013, it's rumoured she hooked up with Harry.

"They had a dalliance at the end of the X Factor in 2013 and met up again early last year," a source told British newspaper The Sun.

Harry supposedly always had the hots for Nicole.

It's believed the singer, who is now 21 years old, found her startlingly beautiful from day one.

"Harry was obviously very taken by Nicole who is stunning and he had always looked up to her," the source explained. "She was a guest judge on X Factor at the time One Direction were formed and has always claimed credit for putting the band together, even though Simon Cowell says it was his idea."

Despite a difference of nearly two decades, their age gap was apparently never an issue.

Nicole and Harry's alleged fling has somewhat of a fairy tale quality attached to it, as it's claimed their interest in each other never seemed to wane.

"Harry was 19 at the time but had an old head on his shoulders because he'd already been in a relationship with Caroline Flack who was 14 years older than him," the insider detailed of their first romantic encounter. "But they hooked up over three years later when Harry had matured and was a member of the world's biggest band."