One Direction may have been on a hiatus for the whole of 2016, but that didn't stop them from becoming the highest-paid European celebrities.
Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson spent the year working on solo projects but still managed to rake in £89.9m over 12 months, according to the list by Forbes.
It was the money they made from the tail-end of their On The Road Again tour and endorsements from brands including Pepsi and Colgate that helped them bring home the bacon, Forbes said.
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who brought in £72m, was the second highest-earning European celebrity. Meanwhile Adele, who earned £65.8m between June 2015 and June 2016, came third and was the only woman on the list.
Tennis helped Swiss legend Roger Federer and Serbian champion Novak Djokovic find their way onto the list, with Federer taking fourth place (£55.6m) and Djokovic coming in eighth (£45.7m), thanks to mega-bucks endorsement deals.
But it was British musicians who dominated the list, showing that a long music career really pays off. The Rolling Stones' gruelling touring schedule helped them rake in £54.3m, while Calvin Harris, the world's highest-paid DJ, made £51.5m.
"The rise of dance music has been astronomical in the last three years and I happened to be in the right place at the right time," Harris told Forbes.
Other musicians on the list were The Beatles' Sir Paul McCartney (£46.1m) and Irish group U2 (£45m).
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay came 10th on the list, making £44m from his work on TV and in the kitchen.
Forbes' ranking is calculated using numbers from Nielsen, Pollstar, Box Office Mojo, Songkick and IMDB, as well as interviews with industry insiders and stars themselves, reported the BBC.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT