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Zayn Malik Talks About His Past Relationships And Enjoys Being Single
Zayn Malik, a former member of One Direction, revealed in a very rare and honest interview that he never truly loved Gigi Hadid, despite their being together for six years and being very public about it. The 33-year-old music star confessed that he now sees he is better off without a partner as his 10 years of dating famous people often resulted in “trouble.”
Before his relationship with Gigi Hadid, Zayn was engaged to Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards. The former One Direction member revealed that he made mistakes as a reckless youth. “I was young and, you know, did certain things, spoke to other females when I shouldn’t have been, as most people do,” he said, explaining that his youth and immaturity led him to get in trouble in relationships.
He went on to say, “At the same time, you grow and learn from it, but with such no guilt you’re able to be free and speak to whoever you want.” This discovery of liberty is a major change for the star as he is slowly detaching himself from the judgment that accompanies public relationships.
Zayn Malik Rambles about the Perks of Single Life and His Personal Freedom
Zayn Malik freely enjoys the perks of being single such as personal freedom and eating habits like having meals in bed. “I don’t find being alone scary. I like to do things myself. I like to be in my own company. I’m not co-dependent like that at all,” he said.
In the interview, the singer revealed that his current status is extremely “freeing” as it enables him to make his own plans and follow his own schedule without having to consider others. “Yeah, I mean, I could just do things, make plans, sleep in till whatever time I want — you know what I mean? It’s nice. Like, go to bed whatever time I want, eat what I want, eat in the bed, all kinds of s**t that is not cool when you’re in a couple,” he said.
He is very much enjoying his independence at the moment but Zayn is still willing to consider the future if the time is right. “Hopefully, if I meet somebody that I want to be serious with, I’ll have spent enough time in this place to know that I want to be with that person and be committed to them,” he concluded.
Zayn Malik Talks About Old Rumors and his Relationship with Gigi Hadid
Zayn Malik’s relationships in the past have unfortunately seen a lot of rumors and accusations. Back in 2013 when he was dating Perrie Edwards, an Australian waitress came forward saying that she had spent the night with him. In 2015, another lady became a subject of gossip by alleging that they had a secret fling during a holiday in Thailand. Moreover, Enrica Petrongari, a masseuse, revealed to The Sun on Sunday that she had a brief affair with Zayn during their short separation time in 2018. Furthermore, Towie’s ex-star Abi Clarke also came forward with a claim of scandalous affair with Zayn that took place some years back when he was still dating the model.
Zayn did not publicly talk about these accusations, but he took steps to show he was committed to Gigi Hadid, even moving to the US to live with her. They had their daughter Khai in September 2020 and then separated a few months later. Contemplating over his past, Zayn confessed, “Maybe it was lust,” thus recognizing that things were not so simple in his affairs.
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Zayn Malik Reflects on His Relationship with Gigi Hadid, Admits He Was Never Truly in Love
When he talked about his past with Gigi Hadid, Zayn Malik gave quite a shocking answer, saying that he was never really in love. “At the time, I might have thought it was love, but now that I’m older, I’ve come to realize it probably wasn’t,” he said.
“Maybe it was lust, maybe it was this, maybe it was that… I don’t think it was love. And to be fair, just to say this on the record, I will always love G because she’s the reason my child is here. And I have the highest respect for her. I will always love her. But I don’t think I was ever in love with her. If I was, I would have been a better version of myself,” he added.
Up to now, Zayn stays a low-key life with their daughter Khai in countryside Pennsylvania, the place is totally different from the crazy world of touring with One Direction and the glamorous relationship with Gigi Hadid that constantly made the news.
Zayn Malik on Sacrificing Himself in Past Relationships and Avoiding High-Profile Romances
Zayn Malik has revealed he felt like he gave up a lot of himself in his past relationships. “To me, it just felt like I was always changing and doing stuff, mainly things that I didn’t enjoy, just to make this other person happy,” he said.
To make his point, the ex-One Direction star said he did not enjoy the ‘Hollywood’ style of life that often goes with dating celebrities. “I’m not the guy who every night will want to go to a 5-star Michelin restaurant, get photographed, going here, going there. That person’s inviting you and they’re really famous. So, you should go to hang out with them,” he said.
“I’m saying, ‘Since we’ve got the same job, you’re just going to make a play-date for us?’. I just simply tend to stay away from such things.”
During the Call Her Daddy podcast, the interviewer asked Zayn if he was seeing someone, to which he responded, “I have several friends. Yeah. But I’m not seeing anyone.” Furthermore, he mentioned that the idea of a high-profile relationship is nothing tempting for him, “I’m not after having a public relationship again. And from what I’ve learned – no offence to those who were my public relationships – I just found out that it’s not the way for me.”
Zayn Malik Prioritizes Being a Dad and Privacy Over Dating
Zayn Malik talked about his need for privacy, explaining that he doesn’t look for public approval or attention anymore. “I’m quite a private person. I don’t really strive for people’s approval or attention. So the relationship should really be between me and that person,” he revealed.
The vocalist confessed he would rather be with his daughter who is five years old, Khai, than to be out dating. Besides, he surprised himself when he said that he was a “complete pushover” as a parent. “I thought my upbringing was going to influence my parenting style in a way that I would be super-strict and regimented with everything. And it’s the complete opposite,” he admitted.
Zayn pointed out the special environment his daughter is exposed to, “Her dad is a pop star, her mum is a model, and certain things that she does in life might not always reflect what other people’s understanding of reality is,” he said.
Zayn Malik on Parenting, Fame, and the Difficulties of Raising a Daughter in the Public Eye
After awws his daughter a £500 from the tooth fairy for her first lost tooth, Zayn Malik joked that he felt like an “old man.” “Her mum gave me a lot of s**t about it,” he said, but he insisted that he was right to be generous: “After all, I made a lot of effort and I should be able to give my kid whatever I want to give her. It was a stroke of luck if I got anything from my teeth, and I’ve earned everything I have through hard work. So I don’t think I should have to explain myself over things like them.”
At the height of his teenage fame as a member of One Direction with Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and the late Liam Payne, the pressure of fame weighed heavily on Zayn. The pressure was so great that he decided to leave the band in 2015, and he subsequently suffered from anxiety that prevented him from going on stage for several years.
Currently, Zayn confesses that he is worried about his little girl’s desire to be an entertainer like him, as he knows all too well the difficulties fame can bring.
Zayn Malik on his Daughter’s Dreams, His Family Plans, and Farming Life
Zayn Malik talked about his daughter wanting to be a K-pop star and he said, “She definitely wants to be a K-pop star.” Although he would like to – keep her away from the struggles she would have to face in the show business – he jokingly said, “If she’s happy, I’ll support her. But I would like to, you know, she didn’t have to go through some of the headache that this job entails, I would like to keep her from the job headache.”
Zayn is single now but he has a plan to have 4 kids someday. Meanwhile, he is literally a farmer now with turtles, chickens, dogs, and cats as his farm family. He even said that he has “fully leaned into the farm thing” and thus he can now show off his melon, tomato, cucumber, and chili plants to anyone.
In his spare time, Zayn is carving tiny wooden animals like bears out of blocks of wood.
He says he is “old before his time,” which is why he is now leaving the farm life behind and going on a tour after finally beating the fear of live shows that he held in 2024. He already finished a Las Vegas residency and is going on a world tour with 31 dates starting in May.
Zayn Malik on Reconnecting with the Audience and Leading a Low-Key Life in Pennsylvania
Zayn Malik had a chat why he decided to go back to live shows and his daughter Khai was the reason. “This is my profession. I don’t really want her to be seeing me through old clips in the band, do you get what I mean? Like, I don’t even really recognize myself,” he explained.
After finishing a residency in Las Vegas Zayn still felt that city was not his kind of place. “It doesn’t really suit me. I’m turning a bit old I guess. When I’m off work, I just want to go home and chill. I feel like a granddad,” he revealed.
He likes the calmness of his house in Pennsylvania. There, “Not much” happens, and Zayn pointed out, “I don’t really go out of my place. I sort of just stay there.”
In April, Zayn will launch his fifth album, Konnakol, and he has acknowledged a) the longevity of his career with some real appreciation. “If you ask me what I’m looking forward to the most, I’d say ‘Actually the fact that the world still gives a damn,’” he answered.