He sparked speculation all was not well in the One Direction camp two weeks ago, when he was signed off from the band’s world tour with stress. Then, last week, Zayn Malik dropped a bombshell when he revealed he was leaving the world’s biggest boyband after five years – explaining: “I want to be a normal 22-year-old.”
His relationship with Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards has also faced intense scrutiny. Just days before he was signed off from the tour, Zayn was accused of cheating on Perrie when photos of him emerged holding hands with 19-year-old Essex girl Lauren Richardson in Thailand.
And over the weekend, he was accused of bedding Swedish model Martina Olsson on the same getaway. Zayn has previously taken to Twitter to deny the cheating claims against him.
Now sources question whether Zayn and Perrie – who has been described as 'Yoko' by hardcore One Direction fans - can survive the recent backlash.
A source reveals: "Perrie is devastated that she’s being made the scapegoat for Zayn quitting the band. She knows the fans will always blame her for Zayn’s exit. She’s been crying about the accusations. Following the cheating claims, Perrie was livid, although she knows it’s all been blown out of proportion. She’s already trying to get through each day with the weight of the cheating allegations on her shoulders and the latest backlash is pushing her to the limit.
“But Zayn promised he’d make her his number-one priority. He told her he was ready to leave the band and fully commit to her. Perrie was shocked by his choice but he assured herit’s what he wanted. She told Zayn he needed to make it clear him leaving the band wasn’t her fault.”