Is Selena Gomez dating Niall Horan? Romance speculation over the two grew following an intimate dinner with friends recently, where the former One Direction member was photographed with his arm around Gomez in a group photo shared to Instagram by a mutual friend. Gomez added fuel to the fire that same week when she gave him a shoutout on social media — but the two are reportedly just friends.
“This came out like 5 mins ago,” Gomez wrote of Horan’s new song, “Nice to Meet Ya,” in a now-expired Instagram Story, “and I’m pretty sure you need to download.”
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But despite chatter surrounding their recent hangout, a source told E! News that there’s nothing romantic between the two. “Selena and Niall are not dating and have been hanging out as friends,” the insider said. “They have always been good friends and have kept in touch throughout the years.”
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“They both always have been very supportive of each other’s music and have talked about collaborating before,” the source said, adding that Gomez has been focused on creating new music and enjoying time with her friends and family.
“Selena has truly had a transformative year. She feels more stable and healthy than she has in the last couple of years and has been on a great path. Her overall health has increased tremendously,” the source said. “She has a new approach to every aspect of her life and wants to maintain a low-key lifestyle. She is focused on her health, family, friends and putting out new music.”
“She has been working in the studio and putting a lot of effort into putting out new music, which she hopes to be out in the early new year.”
It’s not the first time the two pop stars have sparked romance rumors. In 2015, they were spotted kissing at Jenna Dewan‘s 35th birthday party. “Selena and Niall came together and were seen kissing,” a source told E! News at the time. “They were seen making out by a handful of people. Selena seemed super into it. And Niall even more so.”
Although it’s unlikely anything is going on between Gomez and Horan, fans are hopeful that the timing is right for them, as Horan and Hailee Steinfeld broke up last December and Gomez has been presumably single since her split from on-again, off-again boyfriend Justin Bieber, who is now married to Hailey Baldwin.
Photo credit: Theo Wargo / Staff / Getty