MINUS ‘ONE’
Zayn quits & sad fans lose sense of Direction
HE’S GOING in a different direction.
An “emotionally tortured” Zayn Malik announced his departure from the super-popular British boy band One Direction on the group’s Facebook page Wednesday. “My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined,” Malik said in a statement.
The move follows unwanted publicity that the singer may have strayed after he was spotted recently holding hands with a woman — who was not fiancée Perrie Edwards — in a club in Thailand. Devastated fans around the globe shook the Web with a frenzied social media storm, lamenting the move with videos of themselves crying, screaming and lighting candles for the heartthrob.
“I don’t know what to do. Like, I can’t even face people,” one heartbroken fan tweeted. But Malik quitting the band following the cheating scandal was no surprise to boss Simon Cowell.
Cowell’s Syco Records — which put the pop group together — had heard from both the band’s management and tour staff that Malik had been on the brink of leaving back in January.
“(Bandmates) Liam Payne and Niall Horan persuaded Zayn to take part in the ‘On The Road Again’ tour even though he said he wanted more time off,” one insider said. “This is no surprise to Simon and record label execs. Zayn has been close to walking away for over six months now.”
One Direction bandmate Harry Styles was spotted wiping away tears on stage in Jakarta after the announcement.
Malik, who left the world tour last week citing stress, said he just wants to be “a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.”