Zayn Malik and Perrie Edwards' love story garnered a huge amount of attention back in 2013 thanks to the young pop stars being at the height of their fame.
However, their engagement ended as quickly as it began with both the One Direction star and the Little Mix singer remaining fairly private about their split.
Almost a decade later, Zayn has commented on his ex-fiancée and his subsequent relationship with model Gigi Hadid, the mother of his daughter Khai.
During an interview with NYLON magazine, the 31-year-old reflected: "From 17 to 21, I was in a relationship. I was engaged and [planned to get] married and I didn't know anything about anything at that point. I thought I did because I was 21. I was legally allowed to do everything, but I didn't know [expletive]."
Zayn and Perrie's split
The former couple met on The X Factor UK in 2011 at the start of their successful music careers. They dated for two years before Zayn proposed in August 2013, but they split in 2015 before walking down the aisle.
Perrie has made some rare comments about the end of their relationship, which she claimed happened via text.
"It was horrible, the worst time in my life. A four-year relationship, two-year engagement ended by a simple text message. Just like that," she wrote in Little Mix's One World book.
However, Zayn denied it, telling The Fader magazine that he will "always" have feelings for Perrie, who is now a mother to son Axel, whom she shares with her fiancé Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
"I love her a lot, and I always will, and I would never end our relationship over four years like that. She knows that, I know that, and the public should know that as well," he said.
Zayn's relationship with Gigi
Zayn went on to another very high-profile relationship after ending his engagement with Perrie. He dated Gigi for six years and welcomed a daughter called Khai in September 2020 before they parted ways in 2021.
Touching on his single life, he added to NYLON: "From 21 to 27, I was with Gi, and we had a kid, and I didn't really take much time to get to know myself. I’m really content and happy with being single for the first time in my life."
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