For context: Perrie Edwards & Zayn Malik dated for 4 years, from 2011 until 2015. They announced their engagement in August 2013.
In August 2015, shortly after he had left One Direction, Zayn broke up with Perrie via text. This was confirmed by her in Little Mix's book "New World", released in October 2016, in which she wrote, "It was horrible, the worst time in my life. 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."
The same year Zayn was first linked to Gigi Hadid. They were first spotted together in November 2015 and by January 2016 Gigi had starred in the music video of "Pillowtalk", Zayn's debut single as a solo artist, as the love interest.
Full transcript of the video above:
“I need to be careful how I say this, but… Let’s just say there was… There was a bit of an overlap.
When you’re the one left behind, it’s hard. Because it’s like, ‘Shit, they’ve left me for someone more beautiful than me, someone better than me…’ That’s how it felt at the time.
Then you have a song they’ve written about you, but then someone else is in the video… It was one thing after the other after the other. I remember finding out about that. I’d just moved into my little bungalow in Surrey because I was trying to get as far away as I could, and I just remember finding out about that. I thought, ‘This is all getting a bit much…’, and then I started crying my eyes out. And then my dad started crying and he was like, ‘I don’t know how I can take this pain away,’ and I’m like, ‘Nobody can! This is hellish! Like… What is going on?!
It was really one thing after the other. And there’s so much that people don’t know about that I would never say, even though I just spilled some beans. But there’s so much that went into it [and] that I went through that I would never talk about, and it was real hard. So that’s probably why I get a bit frustrated at times [when people tell her not to talk about her experience].”
Posted by __Naya_
22 Comments
I appreciate Perrie’s honestly and vulnerability here.
I’d be like “why are we talking about some guy I dated ten years ago??? thank you next”
As a fan of both One Direction and Little Mix back in 2015, watching this all go down day by day was crazy.
Keep in mind, the breakup occurred five months after Zayn left the group; parasocial 1D fans were already sending Perrie threats, alleging that it was *her* fault that Zayn quit. So to add a nasty breakup on top of the stress she was already feeling, I feel like her frustration is an understatement from how she describes it.
She was cheated on, dumped over text, forced to relocate (she lived with her mum for a while because she was technically homeless since Zayn owned the property), dealing with pressure from her own record label (LM’s third album was about to come out and they had originally scrapped the whole thing), constant harassment from paps, fake rumors in the Daily Mail (go figure), and then it’s a slap in the face when there’s a song written about her and people are comparing her beauty to the new girlfriend’s.
In all honesty, and some of this is hindsight, Perrie dodged a fucking bullet. I’m glad she found Alex.
To all of the ppl who are saying why is she still talking bout it.. you can give up on the person and love but still resent/ be sad bout something that has happened with you PUBLICLY
Me to Perrie
https://preview.redd.it/fzcd8v8ifh6h1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce01d8ca1f9264038b6f357081100442cbd2bc81
She went through a lot with the breakup and 1D fans going after her, at a very young age too. I’m glad she met Alex and has lovely family now.
I wish people would left this relationship behind. Perrie still having her name attached to zayn ten years after a break up when she had so many things going on in her life during those years is kinda sad tbh
Zayn is a beautiful man with an ugly twisted heart. What a broken man!
If my fiance wrote a song about me, then cheated on me, broke up over text and used his new girlfriend as the model in the music video, I feel like I’d be dangerously close to having to be locked away for my own good.
And she was younger then than I am now – Hold on, how is it only now computing just how young they were? Like, who let these 20-year-olds get engaged? 😳
I’m happy for her and Alex.
That’s a crazy question to ask someone imo
Like I feel like it’s inappropriate in the context of an interview
People are saying why is she still talking about him but I take it as her describing something that happened in HER life, as people would do about anything that in some way changed their life.
Sounds like she has a wonderful father
This reminds me of the Jennifer Aniston interview where she said something about Brad Pitt missing a sensitivity chip… The part about Hadid being in the music video, especially.
It’s giving Brad and Angelina doing their full family-style photoshoot before his divorce was even finalised vibes.
Wait pillowtalk was about her?
Oooh now this is the type of stuff I live for on this sub. Justice for Perrie and Little Mix in general. They were so gooood. Stream JADE’s album!!
Perrie is so delightful and radiant. I’m so glad she’s found happiness with Alex and her kids!! She really dodged a bullet
On me I swear I thought perrie dated harry guess I don’t really keep up with the UK scene
I’m a bit wary to post this on this sub knowing how people here do not like Zayn…but I think Perrie sharing details about her relationship while Zayn largely stayed silent benefited her by shaping public perception in her favour and, in many ways, vilifying him. Not saying Zayn was the perfect boyfriend, but I think we should also keep in mind that there were aspects to the relationship that the public isn’t privy to that might’ve ultimately led to him ending it.
For instance, I remember when I was active in the 1D fandom space, there were screenshots of Perrie’s mom posting Islamophobic comments on Facebook while they were together. Even if Zayn is no longer Muslim, members of his family still practice Islam.
She’s absolutely entitled to her feelings and her perspective on the relationship. I do think that talking about for over a decade is a lot and the idea that she was the only one who “dodged a bullet” is just something I don’t agree with.
He’s a horrible person who treats people close to him like absolute shit. He’s proven over and over again he is but still has fan girls that will twist themselves into knots to blame everyone else for all of his shortcomings. He will never take accountability for any of his actions and grow bc he’ll never have to.
Even with that it’s clear she’s holding back from fully spilling the whole story with him, just like it’s clear to me everyone else who’s been around him is also holding back. Gigi and the other Hadids, members of 1D. What we do know is already shit and I guarantee what everyone is holding back is worse.
I don’t care when she talks about him in public for how long ago it was.
He disrespected her publicly over and over again.
Let her finally let it out if that’s what helps her move on.
Wasn’t Gigi caught stalking her? 👀🤭