Zayn Malik set pulses racing as he unveiled a new look on Instagram on Thursday. The former One Direction singer surprised his 14.9 million followers with a striking selfie in which he revealed he has shaved off his facial hair.
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© Photo: InstagramZayn Malik has shaved off his facial hair
In the close-up snap the 23-year-old smiles for the camera as he shows off his freshly-shaven face, dressed in a red sweater and wearing an eye-catching silver necklace. Zayn didn't go for a completely clean-cut finish, opting to leave some stubble, but fans still took to social media to express their shock at the surprise change, as he has been rocking facial hair in recent years with his beard becoming his trademark look.
Despite fans clamouring for details, Zayn left the photo caption-free, leaving his followers to speculate as to what could have prompted his makeover.
© Photo: PAThe singer has been rocking a beard in recent months
It's not the only change the British star has made in recent months to his look. When supermodel girlfriend Gigi Hadid posted a video of the singer cooking chicken on a night in, eagle-eyed fans quickly noted that his previous tattoo tribute to former girlfriend Perrie Edwards seemed to have been replaced with a series of new inkings.
The Pillowtalk hitmaker has been keeping a relatively low profile in recent months, and earlier this year pulled out of a gig at the Capital Summertime Ball an hour and half before he was set to perform due to anxiety.
© Photo: PAZayn is currently dating supermodel Gigi Hadid
He apologised to fans in a heartfelt message shared on his Twitter and Instagram pages which read: "To all those people who have bene waiting to see me perform at the Capital Summertime Ball today. I flew into the UK last night to appear in my home country in front of my family, friends, and most importantly my UK fans.
"Unfortunately my anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me … with the magnitude of the event, I have suffered the worst anxiety of my career. I cannot apologise enough but I want to be honest with everyone who has patiently waited to see me, I promise I will do my best to make this up to everybody I've let down today.
I know those who suffer anxiety will understand and I hope those who don't can empathise with my situation."
