Former One Direction star Zayn Malik has broken his silence following his decision to leave the boyband, saying he has never felt more in control of his life.
The 22-year-old singer told The Sun: "I feel like I've let the fans down but I can't do this anymore. It is crazy and wild and a bit mad but, at the same time, I've never felt more in control in my life."
He continued: "And I feel like I'm doing what's right - right by myself and right by the boys, so I feel good."
Malik added that he never wanted to let his fans down: "You know, I did try to do something that I wasn't happy doing for a while, for the sake of maybe other people's happiness. And that was mainly the fans. And I only ever tried to do it for the fans, and it was only ever for them.
"I'm only upset [because] I feel like I may have let them down in some sort of way. It's not that I've turned my back on them or anything, it's just that I just can't do that anymore because it's not real to me."
Rumours of tension between One Direction have been circulating, but Malik was quick to say that the other boyband members have given him their full support.
"It's been really good for me, because I feel it's been a bit different to when other bands have broken up or when a member's left or whatever," he said.
"My band has been really supportive. They've been really cool about it. And they understand that, you know, it's not real to me anymore."
On the group's future without him, he commented: "They still want to do it for a while, so they're going to carry on doing what they want to do and I think they're going to do ok for a while."
