Zayn Malik has prompted a backlash from fans after suggesting he does not believe he was ever in love with his former partner Gigi Hadid.
The former One Direction star, 33, was in a high-profile relationship with the supermodel, 30, for six years between 2015 and 2021.
The pair share a daughter, Khai, who is now five.
Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast with host Alex Cooper, Malik reflected on the relationship and how, although he believed he was in love at the time, he now feels his emotions were not as deep as he once thought.
“At that moment in time, I might have thought it was love, but as I got older, I realised maybe it wasn’t,” he said.
“Maybe it was lust, maybe it was this, maybe it was that. I don’t feel like it was love. And to be fair, just to say this on record, I will always love G because she is the reason my child is on this earth, and I have the utmost respect for her.”
He added: “I have so much respect for this woman, and I do love her a crazy amount. But yeah, no, but I don’t think I was in love with her at that point. Otherwise I would have been a better version of myself.”
The comments quickly sparked debate online, with some fans criticising the singer for speaking publicly about the relationship, particularly given its length and the couple’s shared child.
“Zayn Malik said publicly he doesn’t know if he was in love with Gigi Hadid,” one user wrote on X. “I’m sorry but what?”
“This is a terrible thing to say publicly about someone you were with for six years,” a second commented.
“Imagine Gigi sitting at home hearing that her 20s were basically a ‘misunderstanding’ of his feelings. There is being honest with yourself, and then there is being unnecessary,” a third said.
Another penned: “The fact that Zayn Malik doubled down basically saying the only reason he respects and ‘loves’ Gigi Hadid is because he knocked her up and she had his child.”
Others, however, defended the remarks, describing them as an honest reflection on personal growth.
One fan called the comments “a raw, reflective insight into past relationships and the ways people grow over time.”
The Standard has contacted Zayn Malik’s rep for comment.
