Former One Direction star Zayn Malik has revealed he was forced to shave his beard and avoid dyeing his hair while he was in the band.
The 23-year-old singer, who left the group in March last year, admits he was frustrated by the strict style restrictions imposed on him and eventually rebelled against the rules.
"There were certain restrictions in terms of the way that we could come outside of that young teen boy look," Zayn told Complex magazine.
"Mainly my beard, honestly. I wasn’t allowed to keep it. Eventually, when I got older, I rebelled against it, and decided to keep it anyway.
"That was just because I looked older than the rest of them. That’s one of the things that is now quite cool. I get to keep my beard. I also wanted to dye my hair when I was in the band, but I wasn’t allowed to."
What Makes You Beautiful: Zayn Malik (above) has dyed his hair pink since going solo
Since Malik's departure, the other members of One Direction - Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Liam Payne - have decided to take a break from the band to pursue their own interests, officially going on hiatus at the end of last year.
