The Tragic Truth About Zayn Malik

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Zayn Malik was once an unknown boy from Bradford, England, when he auditioned for "The X Factor" in 2010 at just 17 years old, but his life forever changed thereafter. He wowed the judges with his rendition of Mario's hit song "Let Me Love You" but failed to make it through the season solo. After almost getting booted off the show, the judges had the bright idea to group him up with fellow contestants Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne. One Direction was formed and Malik would go on to be a part of arguably the biggest boy bands at the time.

Life wasn't all peachy for Malik, however. As he was thrust into fame, he developed mental health issues and feuded with his band members. Ultimately, Malik decided he'd had enough of being a boy band member and after he quit in 2015, the rest of One Direction broke up a year later. Since then, hardships have continued to follow the "Dusk Till Dawn" singer, and despite his growing career, Malik has tragically faced many difficulties throughout his road to fame.

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Many dream of becoming a pop star but for Zayn Malik, the reality of that dream came with tons of pressure, which caused anxiety so debilitating that he had to cancel his concert in 2016. "To all those people who have been waiting to see me perform at the Capital Summertime Ball today ... Unfortunately my anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me," he tweeted. A few months later, Malik opened up about his reason for going public with his mental health struggles and told The Standard, "For me to pretend that I didn't have anxiety would be fake. It also helps people understand why I behave in a certain way. Sometimes things get in the way of us doing exactly what we want. I never mean to offend. It's an uncontrollable thing that I can't do anything about."

Performing in front of tens of thousands of people as a singer contributed to Malik's anxiety. As he pointed out on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, "It's not a natural thing to do, you know, in terms of everyday life." Since having his daughter Khai, the "Love Like This" singer has made an effort to overcome his anxiety and show her that she could do hard things as well. "I want her to be able to look at me and be like, 'Yo, my dad's doing this,'" Malik stated.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

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The following contains mention of an eating disorder.

Zayn Malik's One Direction days weren't only fraught with anxiety, but an eating disorder as well. He revealed the details of this difficult time in his eponymous memoir "Zayn" (via The Sun). "I think it was about control," he wrote. "I didn't feel like I had control over anything else in my life, but food was something I could control, so I did. I had lost so much weight I had become ill. The workload and the pace of life on the road put together with the pressures and strains of everything going on within the band had badly affected my eating habits."

While he was in the band, Malik's schedule was so rigorous that when food was put in front of him, he'd refuse it as a means of gaining control, per The Times. However, after quitting One Direction, Malik slowly overcame his eating disorder by regaining a sense of normalcy in his life. "I came back to the UK and spent some time with my mum and got some TLC, and she cooked me food and I got back in touch, mentally, with a lot of the things I'd lost," he explained. After sharing his struggles, Malik found support from those close to him, as well as fans. He noted, "People saw strength in that, and they didn't seem to expect it from a guy, but they expect it from a female, which to me is crazy. We're all human."

If you need help with an eating disorder or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

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The following contains mention of domestic violence.

During Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid's relationship, the "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" singer found himself in the middle of some "Real Housewives" drama when Yolanda Hadid accused him of hitting her. As reported by TMZ, Malik stated, "I adamantly deny striking Yolanda Hadid and for the sake of my daughter I decline to give any further details and I hope that Yolanda will reconsider her false allegations and move towards healing these family issues in private."

Malik was ultimately charged with four counts of harassment, which he did not contest, and was put on probation for just under a year. He was also ordered to take anger management classes. In a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, Malik explained that the reason he didn't fight the charges was to protect his daughter Khai, whom he shares with Gigi. Despite his best efforts to handle the matter privately, he claimed that the incident was somehow "leaked" to the media. Malik later stated of the altercation in his "Call Her Daddy" appearance, "I just wasn't trying to get into a negative back and forth with [Yolanda] ... I dealt with it in the best way, in like an amicable, respectful way and that's all that needs to be said."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

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The reported dispute between Zayn Malik and Yolanda Hadid unfortunately spelled the end of the former One Direction member and Gigi Hadid's relationship. "They are not together right now. They are both good parents though. They co-parent. Yolanda is of course very protective of Gigi. She wants the best for her daughter and grandchild," a source close to the Hadids told People.

While Malik has remained largely private about his personal life, he opened up to Nylon about being in a serious relationship at such a young age. "From 21 to 27, I was with Gi, and we had a kid, and I didn't really take much time to get to know myself," he shared. Malik revealed that before the tumultuous breakups of his famous years, he lived a pretty sheltered life growing up so he never had a serious girlfriend until his late teens. "When I got the chance to do that, I jumped straight in, two feet first, and was like, 'I'm going to have a girlfriend, and she's going to live with me. This makes me a grown man,'" he stated. Malik reflected on his breakup during an appearance on the "Zach Sang Show" and although he didn't name Gigi, he admitted that one of his songs was about loving a person but not being the "best version" of himself. "And that's a really sad thing," he mused.

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One of the most tragic things to have happened to Zayn Malik is the death of his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne. On October 16 2024, the 31-year-old fell three stories from his hotel in Argentina and was found dead by the authorities. As the world reeled from the news, Malik poured his grief into a heartfelt tribute to his late friend. "Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can't help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives," he shared on Instagram. After he reflected on their sometimes complicated friendship, Malik continued, "I lost a brother when you left us and can't explain to you what I'd give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly ... Love you bro."

Following Payne's heartbreaking death, Malik announced on X that he planned to postpone the US.. Stairway to the Sky Tour concert dates. "The dates are being rescheduled for January and I'll post them as soon as it's all set in the next few days. Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates. Love you all and thank you for your understanding," he told fans.