Zayn Malik has opened up about his personal life like never before. During a candid appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, the former One Direction star reflected on being single and admitted he made mistakes in past relationships, including speaking to other women while in a relationship.
Zayn Malik talks about past relationships, talking to other females
When asked what it has been like to be single for nearly a decade, Zayn described the experience as liberating. “No disrespect to people in the past, because people like to take things out of context, it has been freeing, no pressure for me. I am that person who runs on his clock, answers to myself. So it was freeing for me to do things, make plans, and do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Like go to bed whenever I want, eat what I want, and eat on the bed if I want. All kinds of shit, which is cool when you are in a couple.”
The singer added that being single has allowed him to avoid the complications he once faced in relationships. “It has been really freeing. I tend to get into trouble when in relationships because I was young and, you know, did certain things. Spoke to other females when I should not have been, as most people do. You live and learn through it,” he admitted
Zayn emphasised that he has grown from those experiences and now values the absence of guilt. “But this way, there’s no guilt; I can just be free and speak to whoever I want. And hopefully I meet someone I want to be serious with at this time, and this space, and know that I want to be committed to them.”
About Zayn Malik’s past relationships
Zayn Malik’s personal life has frequently played out in the public eye, with several high-profile relationships attracting intense media scrutiny. In 2011, he briefly dated fellow The X Factor contestant Rebecca Ferguson, though the relationship ended within months, reportedly due to personal differences and the pressures of sudden fame.
He then began dating Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards in 2012, and the couple got engaged in 2013. However, in 2015, shortly after Zayn left One Direction to pursue a solo career, they called off their engagement. While neither shared extensive details at the time, reports suggested the split was influenced by career pressures and growing apart amid hectic schedules.
Zayn’s most significant relationship was with model Gigi Hadid. The two began dating in 2015 and had an on-and-off relationship for nearly six years. They welcomed their daughter, Khai, in September 2020. In 2021, the couple split following reports of tension between Zayn and Gigi’s family, though both have since focused on co-parenting their daughter privately. Over the years, Zayn has acknowledged that youth, immaturity, and personal growth played roles in his past relationship as challenges.
