Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik Break Up: A Timeline of Their Romance

Model and former One Direction singer announced their split on Tuesday after dating for two years

By Corinne Heller Mar 14, 2018 5:01 PMTags

Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik announced on Tuesday that they have split, two years after they first started dating.

The 22-year-old supermodel and 25-year-old singer were last photographed together in January, leaving her home.

The two first sparked romance rumors in November 2015. They later stepped out together many times and often paid tribute to one another on social media. They had also weathered some trouble in paradise, taking a short break from dating in 2016 before reconciling months later.

Here is a timeline of their relationship:

November 2015:

Romance Rumors: Hadid and Malik spark romance rumors after they are photographed in a car in West Hollywood after attending an American Music Awards after-party.

Three's Company: Hadid and Malik are spotted dining with her sister Bella Hadid at The Nice Guy restaurant and lounge in Los Angeles. An eyewitness tells E! News, "Gigi and Zayn couldn't keep their hands off each other. They were holding hands under the table, whispering in each other's ears, and Zayn [was] holding Gigi's leg. Gigi was so attached to him that she even followed Zayn outside to the patio during a smoke break."

Nightcap? Hadid and Malik are photographed leaving the Nice Guy around 2:30 a.m., holding hands. 

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Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik: Romance Rewind
Frank Lewis/startraksphoto.com

December 2015:

Instagram Official: Hadid and Malik cuddle up in their first couple-ly Instagram photo together.

January 2016:

Me-ow: Hadid posts on her Instagram page a photo of a shirtless Malik holding her catCleo. Not pictured: Hiss right arm tattoo that bears the image of his ex-fiancée, Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards.

House-Hunting? Hadid and Malik are photographed walking in New York City, visiting apartments available for rent. A source tells E! News that they are not looking to move in together.

Hadid's Tributes: Hadid posts a photo of a Z-pendant necklace on Malik's birthday. More than a week later, she is photographed in Paris holding her phone, whose wallpaper is a photo of Malik's face.

"Girlfriend"? Malik is asked about being in a relationship, in an interview with Apple Music's Beats 1's Zane Lowe said. The singer says, simply, "Yeah. We're good friends."

"Pillowtalk" Video: Malik releases his debut single, along with a steamy music video that shows him packing on the PDA with Hadid.

February 2016—Girlfriend: In a radio interview, Malik finally confirms that Hadid is his girlfriend.

March 2016—Album Release Party: Hadid and Malik attend the release party for his debut solo album Mind of Mine in New York City.

April 2016:

Strike a Pose: Hadid and Malik pose as a couple for Vogue's May 2016 issue. Hadid tells E! News later, "I wish I could be on set with him every day. It doesn't feel like work when he's there. It was really fun. We had the best time. It was an adventure to go where we shot it."

Squad: Hadid celebrates her 21st birthday with Malik and then-couple Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris.

May 2016:

Red Carpet Debut: Hadid and Malik make their red carpet debut at the 2016 Met Gala.

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder: Hadid and Malik spend a weekend apart, on opposite coasts, but she showcases her love for her beau by wearing a T-shirt bearing the words "lol ur not Zayn Malik" at Drake's Saturday Night Live after-party at Dave & Busters. Zayn tweets, "Thas ma girl."

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2017 Celebrity Breakups

June 2016:

Breakup: Hadid and Malik split after seven months of dating and a source tells E! News that the two had actually "broken up and got back together a few times" before. Another insider says, "Gigi was the one that broke up with Zayn when they got into their last fight. It had to do with an issue about not communicating...Gigi still wants to make it work though."

Reconciliation: Hadid and Malik get back together quickly and step out together in New York City.

Malik's Anxiety: Malik cancels a gig at London's Capital Summertime Ball, saying that the "anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me" and that "with the magnitude of the event, I have suffered the worst anxiety of my career." Hadid pens a public message of support.

July 2016:

Back to Normal: "Things are back to normal with them," a source close to Malik tells E! News exclusively. "They got through a rough patch that Zayn was facing personally and it started to put a dark cloud on their relationship. Gigi was there for him when he needed her the most and that brought them closer than ever." 

Back on Instagram: Hadid posts a photo of her and Malik packing on the PDA.

September 2016:

"Super Intelligent": Malik talks about Hadid and their relationship in an interview with ELLE U.K., saying, ""She's super intelligent; I think that's why it works so well. And we do the same type of job so we get that with each other."

Brainy Zayn: When asked what she loves most about her beau, Hadid tells ES magazine, "I would say his brain," adding, "For the first time, we are both in a relationship where we have very similar interests outside of work and that is really important. We cook a lot together and do art together and we're each other's best friends. We both feel we can talk about anything and learn a lot from one another."

Walk, Walk, Fashion, Baby: Hadid and Malik attend London Fashion Week together.

Mom Approves: Hadid's mom Yolanda Hadid posts a photo of her daughter with Malik, writing, "Happiness is seeing your kids happy and realizing they turned out to be really good and genuine people. #Family #Love."

January 2017—Key to Her Heart: Malik is photographed carrying a keychain that reads, "Gigi."

March 2017:

Ah, L'Amore: Hadid and Malik travel to Paris together and a source tells E! News that "their love can't get any stronger," adding that the two are in "awe of each other."

Work It: Hadid steps behind the camera to photograph Malik for the Versus Versace SS17 campaign.

April 2017—Happy Birthday, Gigi: Malik showers Hadid with kisses and cake for her 22nd birthday.

July 2017—Raising Each Other's Closets: Hadid and Malik tell Vogue they borrow each other's clothes.

September 2017—Eid Mubarak: Hadid and Malik celebrate Eid al-Adha, one of the holiest Muslim holidays, with their mothers.

December 2017—Merry Christmas: Hadid and Malik celebrate Christmas together with both of their families.

January 2018—Happy Birthday, Zayn: For his 25th birthday, Hadid posts a PDA video with Malik as well as pics of the two, writing, "Love this man more than I could ever put into words, & am inspired by his drive to be and do better everyday."

March 13, 2018: Hadid and Malik announce on social media that they have split.