EXCLUSIVE: Zayn Malik QUITS One Direction after five years...

Zayn Malik has quit One Direction after five years.

The 22-year-old singer has made the decision to bow out of the chart-topping boyband, leaving Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson to continue as a four-piece.

Zayn said in a statement released to MailOnline on Wednesday afternoon: '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.'

He continued: '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.'

The Best Song Ever hitmakers will record their fifth album in Zayn's absence and will continue with the remaining dates on the band's forthcoming world tour.

One Direction said in a second statement released to MailOnline: '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.'

While E! News claimed Harry will be the next star to leave, planning a solo career and a move into acting, Harry's representatives rubbished the story on Wednesday night.

A rep told MailOnline: 'The band, including Harry, have an upcoming world tour and have announced a brand new album for later this year as a four piece.'

Meanwhile, Simon Cowell - who masterminded One Direction from five solo artists who auditioned for The X Factor back in 2010 - thanked Zayn for his commitment to the band.

He added: '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.'

Within minutes of the news being announced, the star's name was trending on Twitter as the heartthrob's fans mourned their pop idol's departure.

Reactions ranged from heartbroken, to compassionate to angry, but the overriding emotion was devastation.
One fan wrote, 'zayn please @zaynmalik i cant stop crying', while another said, 'Sitting in my room crying over zayn malik cant believe it my favourite person ever #zaynleavesonedirection #saddestimeever @zaynmalik'.

Some fans questioned whether the others could continue on as a four piece without Zayn.

'@zaynmalik we will never forget you because there is no one direction without you', one user posted.

One fan had a slight more angry reaction saying: 'you couldn't even waiting until after this tour was over? selfish @zaynmalik'.
1D Updates wrote: 'I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO OR SAY IM SHAKING AND CRYING AND I DONT WANT THIS TO BE REAL'.
Courtney Boerner tweeted: 'You know your life is pathetic when you start crying over a member of One Direction leaving the band....IM SO SAD'.

But some Twitter users were more positive about the announcement.

Jaclyn Forbes wrote: '@zaynmalik im not gunna say I won't miss you but im glad that you're putting yourself first. :) it's not gunna be the same without you'.

Meanwhile, some reacted to the news with hope that they might be able to fill Zayn's place in the line-up.

Frankie Cocozza, who was a contestant on The X Factor in 2011, wrote: 'Dear @SimonCowell Now Zayn has gone, how about a call up?'.

Other famous stars joined in to share their thoughts on the news as Piers Morgan, Tinie Tempah, Gary Lineker and Katie Hopkins tweeted their reactions.

Last Thursday, Zayn left One Direction's On The Road Again tour prematurely - abandoning band mates Harry, Louis, Niall and Liam - when he was accused of cheating on his girlfriend of three years.

A spokesperson for the band said: 'Zayn has signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate. The band wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta.' 

He was holidaying in Phuket with fellow band member Louis when he was pictured holding hands and with a 19-year-old girl, Lauren Richardson, last week.

Two pictures, including one that saw Zayn resting a hand on the same girl's midriff in an embrace and another of him leaving the Seduction nightclub with the girl, quickly went viral on social media.

As a result flew straight home for 'crisis talks' with girlfriend Perrie Edwards, who he has been engaged to just over a year.

Zayn tweeted about the most recent incident to publicly apologise for 'what it looked like' and declare his love for the Little Mix singer, shortly after the incriminating pictures surfaced.

He wrote: 'I'm 22 years old... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous f**ks in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like x.'

The singer and his fiance spent five hours talking at the house that they shared, with Perrie leaving without her engagement ring and with her bags packed.

Perrie has now been compared to Yoko Ono by angry One Direction fans.

The Little Mix singer has been blamed for her fiancé shocking decision to quit.

Shortly after the 22-year-old singer confirmed the news, one fan lashed out at his fiancée on Twitter, writing: 'Perrie's the modern day Yoko Ono ... I can't believe this'.

Another tweeted: 'PERRIE EDWARDS IS THE YOKO ONO OF ONE DIRECTION'.

Yoko, who is the widow of the late John Lennon, was often blamed for breaking up the Beatles.

Meanwhile, other users suggested Perrie should quit Little Mix in order to support Zayn's desire to lead a 'normal' life.

One fan wrote: 'What just happened?! Did Perrie made him chose her over his career? Unfair, man. She should also quit if that's the case. Just an opinion (sic).'

Sources previously revealed that Zayn was willing to do anything to prove his commitment to the Move singer, 21, after he jetted back to the UK for crisis talks with her following cheating rumours earlier this month.

An insider said: 'Zayn's found touring with the band a big strain this time around - he's seriously exhausted and wanted to let his hair down in Thailand.

'Now his plan has backfired and he's gutted Perrie has been left humiliated.

'He's told Perrie he'll do anything to please her and wants to stop pushing their wedding date back. He says he wants to get married this year. But Perrie is finding it hard to let go of what she's seen.'

The father of Lauren described Zayn's shock decision to quit the band for good as the 'worst case scenario' on Wednesday evening.

Speaking at Lauren's family home in Walthamstow, east London, David Richardson suggested his daughter had gone in to hiding and declined to say where she was.

He said: 'Lauren's not in, you can imagine the attention we've had.'

Referring to the confirmation that Zayn has quit 1D for good, Mr Richardson said: 'I got that good news when I got home from work. It's the worst scenario.

Asked how Lauren felt about Zayn quitting the band, Mr Richardson said: 'I've got nothing to say on the matter whatsoever and, as you can imagine, all we want is to be left in peace.'

The One Direction holiday sparked a second scandal on Sunday morning when pictures of Louis Tomlinson kissing a girl in a pool emerged and rocked his four-year relationship with Eleanor Calder, which is now thought to have ended.

Four piece Harry, Louis, Liam and Niall continued with the Asian leg of the 1D tour though the band sparked criticism when Liam jokingly covered up Zayn's face on a poster.

Zayn was thought to be the most reluctant member of One Direction from the start.

He first auditioned as a solo singer on the X Factor in the summer of 2010, but his mum admitted in 2013 that he was reluctant to audition.
Speaking to BBC News, Trisha Malik said: 'On the morning of the audition Zayn didn't want to go. He chickened out, saying: "Can't I just leave it?"'

Coaxed into it, Zayn's mum said that he should see how it goes.

'He hated dancing but loved singing,' she recalls. 'He used to sing until three o'clock in the morning and I often used to have to ask him to turn it down.'

Zayn's parents, three sisters and the family dog - have moved to a new house in the city which was bought by Zayn.

In the recent One Direction movie, Trisha is seen, overcome with emotion, as she is handed the keys.

'We never had enough money to buy our own house,' she explains. 'We always lived in rented accommodation, so Zayn knew how very important it was for me to have my own place'.

Trisha used to work as a halal chef in the kitchen of a local primary school, making meals for Muslim children. On Zayn's advice she gave up her job as she said: 'Zayn said "You don't have to do this anymore". Instead, he puts my wage into my bank'.

And it isn't just his mother who Zayn has been scouring the property market for; the kind-hearted musician splashed out on a new family house for fiancée Perrie Edwards' mother.

The heartthrob has proved himself to be the perfect future son-in-law by reportedly splashing out more than £200,000 on a new abode for the Little Mix singer's mum Debbie in Dorset.

After hearing Debbie was keen to relocate from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, to the southern county, Perrie, was going to help her out with footing the bill for a mortgage - before her generous partner stepped in.

Last year saw Zayn hit back against drug abuse claims made about him by US host Matt Lauer on The Today Show in November.

Speaking to The Sun, he fumed: 'I'm really angry and upset by what was said on The Today Show. I was really ill at the weekend. That's why I couldn't fly to America.'

When Matt interviewed the boys, he shocked them when he asked if Zayn's absence was related to drugs.

He said: 'There’s obviously a lot of concern, a lot of fans have been tweeting overnight. Is it something more serious? There have been rumors of substance abuse. What’s going on?'

Liam replied: 'No, he’s just got a stomach bug. He’s okay. He’s just at home. He just needs to rest.'

A representative for 1D told MailOnline at the time: 'Zayn was taken ill after recording the Band Aid single at the weekend and was unfortunately not well enough to fly to the USA yesterday.

'He will join the band for promotion for the new album as soon as he possibly can.'

The heartthrob recovered and joined his band mates at the end of last week for appearances on Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel and then for the AMAs.
However, in May 2014, MailOnline published a video showing Zayn and Louis Tomlinson laughing and joking about marijuana as they apparently share a roll-up 'joint' during the Latin America leg of their 2014 Stadium Tour.

In the footage, Louis narrates from behind the camera, laughingly announcing: ‘So here we are, leaving Peru. Joint lit. Happy days!’
‘What do you think about that kind of content?’ he asks bandmate Zayn Malik, 21, who is alongside him in the SUV ferrying them to Peru’s Estadio Nacional in Lima where One Direction performed to a 40,000 capacity crowd on April 27 as part of their 'Where We Are' tour.

‘Very controversial,’ Zayn responds.

During the 15-minute journey Louis and Zayn joke with each other and the three members of their team travelling with them.

Louis starts filming while the team prepare to leave. Overhearing discussions between what appears to be a member of the band’s security and the driver he says with delight, ‘It’s about the joint. What a great thing to capture in a different language. They were just asking if it’s okay.’
A member of the team asks about the filming: ‘Are we allowed to talk contraband in this?’

Louis replies: 'Yes, that's what it is about.'

Driving into the sunlight from an underground parking lot, Louis says, ‘I want to light up,’ and a member of the team hands him a lighter and the flicker of a roll up being lit is caught on camera.

The sight of a police officer on a motorbike escorting them, is met with great excitement. Louis notes: ‘That’s the police. That’s the po po. One-nil.’ He coughs and a cloud of smoke, floats across the camera lens and Louis yells, ‘Smokescreen baby!’

Later in the video, Louis pans to a police motorcyclist just yards away. Louis giggles, ‘One nil b***h! Look at this b***h! He’s having a look. He’s thinking, “I’m sure I can smell an illegal substance in there.” And he’s hit the nail on the head.’

At this Zayn smilingly accepts what appears to be the lit joint and takes a drag. ‘How is it Zayn?’ Louis asks. Pausing a beat before he exhales Zayn replies, ‘Nice.’

After a half-hearted attempt to film ‘a bit of the culture’ with footage of the street beyond the SUV, Louis pans back to Zayn allowing the focus to drop to the smoking ‘joint’ in his hand and asks, ‘How’s that kind of culture?’

Zayn replies, ‘It’s great. It’s going to be even greater culture when we get to Jamaica.’

In 2012, Zayn seemed to start to showing the strain of life in the public eye as he announced that he would be quitting Twitter.

According to Huffington Post, he claimed: 'The reason I don’t tweet as much as I use to, is because I’m sick of all the useless opinions and hate that i get daily goodbye twitter'.

'My fans that have something nice to say can tweet me on the one direction account, x.'

Zayn’s departure spawned  trends like #ComeBackZayn and #ZaynComeBack and prompted campaigns to get the heartthrob back online which he eventually did several weeks later.

Last year saw one Direction officially become the richest boyband in music history from Britain and Ireland.

The five memebers each have an individual wealth of £15million which combines to a total net worth of £70million.

In one year alone the band earned £45million, according to the Sunday Times’ list of richest musicians aged 30 and under.

The increase in the boys' personal earnings, from £9million to £15million, is due to the huge success of their world tour as well as DVD and record sales, lucrative advertising endorsements and their ever-growing American fanbase.

Bradford-born Zayn has bought a Bentley Continental GT worth £32,000 with his earnings, the home worth £280,000 for his mother and a £2.2million mansion in north London.

Earlier this week, Liam Payne seemed to hint that he wasn't too upset by the departure of his bandmate from the band's tour.

On Monday he shared a picture of himself and the other band members Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles, posing with fans and a poster of the group, in which Liam blocked out Zayn's face with his hand.

The cheeky star wrote on Twitter: '#makinglightofasituation sorry for the laughs guys.'

However, fans were quick to react and hit out at Liam for making light of his friend's absence.