Liam Payne Says Zayn Malik Left One Direction Because He Wanted to Spend More Time With Perrie Edwards and His Family

"He wanted to spend time with his family and the missus," he says

By Francesca Bacardi May 20, 2015 6:09 PMTags
E! Placeholder Image

Well, this isn't going to sit well with One Direction fans.

Although Zayn Malik has said time and time again that he left the famous boy band because he wanted to live life as a "normal 22 year old," people won't accept that as a reason. Now that he has been spotted in the studio with producer Naughty Boy, many have speculated that he left to launch his solo career.

But behind all of the rumors and hearsay, there has always been the thought that Perrie Edwards, Malik's fiancée, could be to blame, and according to Liam Payne, that's exactly the reason. In an interview with Capital FM, as quoted by the Daily Mail, Liam seemed to confirm the thoughts that have plagued every Directioner. 

"Sometimes you have to move on because you're not enjoying what you're doing as much as you used to," Liam told host Lisa Snowdon. "He wanted to spend time with his family and his missus. That's cool with us."

Cal Aurand

A rep for Perrie had no comment.

OK, so Liam also made sure to say that Zayn wanted to spend more time with his family in addition to Perrie, but still. Obviously we can't blame Zayn for needing some quality time, but did he really have to leave completely?! Fans were quick to compare Perrie to Yoko OnoJohn Lennon's widow, who was believed to be the reason for The Beatles' split.

Even X Factor judge Louis Walsh had his thoughts about Perrie. "What I found in the past is as things get on, and as they get girlfriends, the girlfriends are whispering things in their ears and saying like, 'You should be a solo star,' 'You should be the lead singer,'" he shared with Ireland's RTE Radio One. "That's usually the problem."

But soon after Zayn left the band, he enjoyed a getaway vacation with his fiancée in the South of France and really packed on the PDA in pics on Instagram. Maybe time together was all they needed!

"They were very happy," and eyewitness told E! News of the pair. "They were practically glued to each other when we saw them."

The insider added that Zayn constantly had his arms around Perrie's waist and touched her the entire time they were in public, adding, "He couldn't keep his hands off of her."