One Direction’s Zayn Malik has been signed off the band’s world tour due to ‘stress’ his rep has confirmed.
The 22-year-old was due to perform in Manila and Jakarta as part of the Asia leg of One Direction’s 2015 world tour, but instead he boarded a flight from Hong Kong back to the UK.
A representative for the band released a statement today reading: "Zayn has been signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate. The band wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta."
Zayn’s departure comes hot on the heels of reports that he cheated on Little Mix star fiancee Perrie Edwards, something that the boy band member vehemently denies.
The tattooed singer was spotted with a ‘mystery blonde’ in Thailand.
He tweeted earlier today: “I’m 22 years old... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous f**ks in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like x.”
An insider later revealed to The Sun: “Zayn finds it tougher than the rest of his band-mates dealing with fame. Having his every movement scrutinised causes great anxiety and the pictures which surfaced with the fan yesterday was the final straw.
“He did nothing wrong but the amount of criticism he received was simply too much. He needs to get away."