Sad to hear about Zayn leaving 1D. Cool fella with a wicked voice. Wish him the best of luck @zaynmalik
WAIT WHAT?? Am I hearing this correctly? Zayn has quit One Direction? :( — Zoë (@ZozeeBo) March 25, 2015
6:30pm Who is Zan Malik?
He first joined the British supergroup after narrowly avoiding elimination when he appeared on X Factor in 2010.
He was initially kicked off the show during the preliminary stages, before the judges decided to group him with four other solo artists - Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson - to form One Direction.
Born Zain Malik, the young star is 1D's sole Yorkshireman, hailing from East Bowling, Bradford. He comes from a Muslim family and once tweeted an affirmation of his faith to his millions of followers.
He has been engaged to Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards since 2013 and has her face tattooed on his arm. He was previously linked with another member of the X Factor alumni, Rebecca Ferguson.
Malik is also One Direction's least popular member on social media - lagging four and a half million twitter followers behind Louis Tomlinson and almost 10 million behind Harry Styles.
He found himself the subject of considerable public criticism after a video appearing to show him and fellow band member Tomlinson smoking marijuana in Peru surfaced last year.
The pair both apologised and were this week ordered to lodge a £3,000 bond with the Peruvian government, which would be forfeited if they used or promoted the use of the drug during a scheduled show in Manila.
Malik again courted controversy a few months later by tweeting Free Palestine during the Israel-Gaza conflict in 2014, prompting outrage from some of the group's Israeli fans.
One tweeted: "It broke me that one of my idols wants me to die."
Speculation about his future with the band has been mounting since last week when he walked away from their current world tour because he was suffering stress.
6:00pm Lets take a minute to remember the good times
5:45pm Things are getting a little heated over on Twitter.
Within 45 minutes of the announcement, One Direction's official statement on Twitter had been re-tweeted 57,000 times and favourited 50,000 times. On Facebook the statement received more than 100,000 likes and 48,000 comments.
Despite Malik's departure, One Direction's fan base continued to swell on Twitter and Facebook, adding approximately a thousand new followers and fans every two minutes since the announcement.
The departure of Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear just before Malik's exit led some to connect the two.
Comedian Dom Joly tweeted:
*BREAKING NEWS* Clarkson to replace Zayn Malik in One Direction "It'll take some training but we are determined to make it work" — Dom Joly (@domjoly) March 25, 2015
And the Department for Work and Pensions offered its services
Hi @zaynmalik, heard your news. Around 735,000 vacancies available at any time. Get job seeking tips here: http://t.co/7MxPeMGLrA #ZaynMalik — DWP Press Office (@dwppressoffice) March 25, 2015
5:28pm Here are the statements in full from Malik, the band and Simon Cowell:
Zayn Malik: "My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart.
"I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world."
One Direction: "We're really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future. The past five years have been beyond amazing, we've gone through so much together, so we will always be friends. The four of us will now continue. We're looking forward to recording the new album and seeing all the fans on the next stage of the world tour."
Simon Cowell: "I would like to say thank you to Zayn for everything he has done for One Direction. Since I first met Zayn in 2010, I have grown very, very fond - and immensely proud - of him.
"I have seen him grow in confidence and I am truly sorry to see him leave. As for One Direction, fans can rest assured that Niall, Liam, Harry and Louis are hugely excited about the future of the band."
5:20pm The news that there are now only four members of One Direction has hit the fans hard.
STOP TWEETING 'no 1D without zayn' I MEAN ITS TRUE BUT WOULD YOU LIKE THE BAND BREAK UP? — noura | fb pls ??? (@coffeecupzjm) March 25, 2015
zayn left one direction???? @god what did i do wrong — liya lasagna (@LoveFromLiyax) March 25, 2015
zayn left one direction???? @god what did i do wrong — liya lasagna (@LoveFromLiyax) March 25, 2015
5:00pm Malik quit the boyband's world tour last week after being "signed off with stress" and returned to the UK after he was forced to defend himself online and declare his love for fiancee Perrie Edwards when pictures emerged of him apparently close to another woman.
In a statement, the rest of the group said: "We're really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future.
"The past five years have been beyond amazing - we've gone through so much together, so we will always be friends.
"The four of us will now continue. We're looking forward to recording the new album and seeing all the fans on the next stage of the world tour."
Simon Cowell, who discovered the boyband on talent show The X Factor, said: "I would like to say thank you to Zayn for everything he has done for One Direction.
"Since I first met Zayn in 2010, I have grown very, very fond - and immensely proud - of him. I have seen him grow in confidence and I am truly sorry to see him leave.
"As for One Direction, fans can rest assured that Niall, Liam, Harry and Louis are hugely excited about the future of the band."
After five incredible years Zayn Malik has decided to leave OneDirection. Niall, Harry, Liam and Louis will continue as... Posted by One Direction on Wednesday, March 25, 2015
4:36pm Zayn Malik has left One Direction, the band said in a statement today. We track all the latest as it happens.
They said they would continue as a four-piece for their world tour and record another album - their fifth - later this year.
Malik said: "My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band.
"I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right."
Malik pictured while performing with One Direction in 2012.
, one of the members of British pop boy-band , has left the group after five years. The band confirmed yesterday that Malik has left the group with a statement on Facebook. They also announced they would continue with the remaining four members and their fifth album would be recorded later this year. 

The statement posted on One Direction's Facebook page said "After five incredible years Zayn Malik has decided to leave One Direction. , ,  and  will continue as a four-piece and look forward to the forthcoming concerts of their world tour and recording their fifth album, due to be released later this year".

Malik, 22, also released a statement through Facebook confirming his departure. He said "My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right." 

After news of Malik's departure spread fans took to social media to share their disappointment. On Twitter the hashtag #AlwaysInOurHeartsZaynMalik was created and 48,000 comments were left on the statement posted by the band on Facebook. The Employer Advice Service, based at Manchester company Peninsula, said 220 people had called overnight regarding  relating to the news. Speaking to the '''', employment law director Alan Price said “While I sympathise with One Direction fans, I hardly think this qualified as compassionate leave".

One Direction formed as a group in 2010 after competing as single artists on the British reality music competition . The band was signed by 's record label after the show, which they finished third on. The remaining members of the group are Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson.


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