Zayn Malik's Relationship History And What His Exes Have Said

Former One Direction member Zayn Malik made headlines after he was linked to Selena Gomez in March 2023. The pair were reportedly seen out on a date in New York. A restaurant hostess on TikTok said her friend, who's also a hostess, seated the celebs on their date. If true, it seems that things might be heating up between the two stars because they were allegedly seen kissing and holding hands. A supposed eyewitness echoed these same romantic details to ET. 

"Zayn has known Selena for years and he's definitely into her," an unnamed source claimed, per Us Weekly. "He's always admired her and thinks she's an incredible person, inside and out." Interestingly, Us Weekly reported that Gomez dined at NYC's Nobu location with Malik's personal assistant earlier in March. It turns out that Malik and Gomez may have had a fling in the past, too. An anonymous source claimed they were linked years ago when their pals Taylor Swift and Harry Styles were dating. "It doesn't surprise me at all that they're potentially together [today]," they alleged, per Page Six. It looks like we'll have to wait and see whether the singers are serious about their relationship.

Malik has also previously been linked to Perrie Edwards and, of course, Gigi Hadid. The model shares daughter Khai Hadid Malik with the musician. Hadid has opened up about co-parenting with her ex, and she is only one of several former Malik lovers who have had a lot to say about him.

Back when Zayn Malik and his fellow One Direction bandmates were contestants on the U.K.'s "X Factor," he briefly dated fellow contestant Geneva Lane, a member of girl group Belle Amie. Per the Daily Mail, Lane was 20 at the time, while Malik was a minor at age 17. The young couple got plenty of attention, but it seems that things turned sour at some point because Lane took to Twitter to bash Malik's behavior years after their breakup.

She shared her opinion after Malik and ex-fiancee Perrie Edwards parted ways in 2015. "Lol ... Saw that coming," Lane wrote in a since-deleted tweet. "Dunno how she didn't realise sooner what massive c*** he is." In a separate tweet, Lane wrote, "She deserves so much better than to be treated how she has for so long. So many lies and so much deceit." Lane showed her support for Edwards, though it appears that the singer upset fans with her opinion. She later shared, "I forgot what the wrath of 1D fans was like! Its only an opinion guys!"

Rebecca Ferguson and Zayn Malik met on the "X Factor" tour in 2011. The couple's relationship was short-lived but still stirred up quite a bit of drama because Ferguson was six years older than Malik at the time. Despite the age gap, the duo still had a bit in common. They were both musicians who found fame on "X Factor." Ferguson has since stepped away from the spotlight. In late 2021, she announced she planned to retire from music. "My final album will drop next year and will be a combination of songs I have written over the past 10 years," she told the Daily Star. "After my retirement, I will dedicate my time and energy into helping and nurturing emerging artists and fighting for better treatment."

It might be safe to say that Ferguson and Malik didn't end on the best terms. "I don't ever, ever speak to him," she told Metro in 2012. "I have maintained friends with some exes, it just depends on the person. I never felt the need to continue with his friendship." During an appearance on the U.K. talkshow "Loose Women" (via the Daily Mail) in 2017, Ferguson shared details about the dynamic of her and Malik's former relationship. "I was like 22, 23 then, he was 18, we were young," the singer said. "I would pay the bills quite a lot, yeah. ... People would be quite surprised by that. I think I'm ready just to at least split the bill."

Actor and singer Stephanie Davis' relationship with Zayn Malik was super private... at first. Davis got caught on the red carpet in 2011 and, when asked about her relationship with Malik, politely told a reporter they were no longer together but remained friends.

However, Davis spilled all of the previously unknown details about the flIng when she was a contestant on "Celebrity Big Brother" U.K. (via BBC) in 2016. The star explained how she met the "Pillowtalk" singer during a conversation with her fellow contestants. "He said, 'I'm coming to Leeds this week. Would you meet up with us?'" Davis shared on the show. "I was like, 'Yeah, but I don't drive so my mum will have to drop us off.' And he was like, 'Sound.'" The pair discovered there was a potential romantic connection during a lengthy phone call, Davis revealed. "We carried on talking and then we said goodbye. About 10 minutes later he called me back. He said, 'I've never met you, but I love talking to you.'"

Things seemed to get off to a great start, so what when wrong? It turns out that Malik's fame made the relationship difficult. After the couple became official, Davis explained, "[Zayn] started going downhill a bit and then it got really bad. If we wanted to go and get some food we'd have to wait until four in the morning." Other young women would swarm Malik and frustrate the pop star.

It seemed that everyone had an opinion on Perrie Edwards and Zayn Malik's breakup when they split in 2015, but we didn't get to hear the details from the source until an excerpt from Little Mix's "Our World" book was leaked. Edwards spoke about the split for the first time in the girl group's autobiography.

Though she didn't name Malik, the singer's reflection seemed pretty obviously about him. "It was horrible, the worst time in my life," Edwards penned. "A four-year relationship, two-year engagement ended by a simple text message. Just like that. Even though things in my career were going really well, it was incredibly difficult for me." She went on to share that her fellow Little Mix group members and her family comforted her as she grieved the relationship. 

Malik shared his side of the story during a 2015 interview with Fader. He claimed he didn't break up with Edwards via text, telling the reporter exactly what he wanted printed: "I have more respect for Perrie than to end anything over text message. I love her a lot, and I always will, and I would never end our relationship over four years like that. She knows that, I know that, and the public should know that as well. I don't want to explain why or what I did, I just want the public to know I didn't do that." In his own memoir, "Zayn," Malik cited the breakdown of his and Perrie's relationship in the story of his decision to leave One Direction.

Zayn Malik moved on with supermodel Gigi Hadid after his highly publicized breakup with Perrie Edwards. The couple went public with their relationship after Gigi was featured in the music video for Malik's first solo single, "Pillowtalk," in 2016. They went on to grace the cover of Vogue together, pose on the Met Gala red carpet, and enter a period of on-and-off romance. 

The couple eventually welcomed their daughter into the world in September 2020. The new parents later parted ways following an alleged incident involving the former One Direction member and the model's mom, Yolanda Hadid, in October 2021. Yolanda allegedly claimed Malik "struck" her (per TMZ) – The Sunday Times said she claimed she'd been "shoved" into a dresser — and he was later charged with "four criminal offenses of harassment," according to Yahoo! Entertainment. Malik denied getting physical with Yolanda. "In an effort to protect that space for [my daughter] I agreed to not contest claims arising from an argument I had with a family member of my partner's who entered our home while my partner was away several weeks ago," he tweeted.

Despite the alleged family turmoil, Gigi shared that she and Malik are co-parenting their daughter Khai just fine. The model spoke about raising a child with the star during an interview with The Sunday Times. "You have a long life alongside this person," she told the outlet. Gigi added, "That she can be with both parents makes me very happy."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.