Zayn Malik, 22, has departed from One Direction’s tour, as announced via a press release for the group. Billboard has confirmed that Malik has returned to his home in the U.K. and that One Direction will continue on with their performances in Manila and Jakarta without his presence on-stage. No word has been released regarding when Malik is set to return to One Direction’s world tour.
According to a representative for One Direction, Malik “has been signed off with stress.” Malik’s departure from the tour follows controversy that recently surrounded him, as rumors emerged that the singer was cheating on his Little Mix fiancée, Perrie Edwards. Malik was previously photographed with a mystery girl in Thailand, even captured holding hands with the woman. Malik and Edwards have been engaged since 2013.
After the photographs surfaced online, Malik took to Twitter to respond to the allegations.
“I’m 22 years old… I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there’s a lot of jealous f*cks in this world I’m sorry for what it looks like x,” he commented.
A source revealed to People that Malik’s family is worried about him, amid the turmoil. The source allegedly revealed to People:
“Zayn is exhausted and just needs a break,” the source said. “Out of everyone of the boys, he’s the one who struggles dealing with being in the spotlight the most. He can’t cope with the level of scrutiny he gets put under. He’s just 22.”
One Direction’s world tour will continue, without any word of when Malik is anticipated to official return, but he does hope to return for their concert in South Africa on March 28.
