Sure they talk about rumours the same as we do.
Got a feeling he might have heard about it somewhere else if Louis hadn't said anything...I know for a fact for example (from my acupuncturist's nephew's fiancée's third cousin once removed on her adoptive step-father's side), that Steven reads TT regularly so we really should be having a go at Mark for letting the cat out of the bag by posting the Times link in the first place !