Liam Payne has compared Jesy Nelson's departure from Little Mix to Zayn Malik’s exit from One Direction.
Malik quit 1D after five years in the chart-topping group in 2015, before the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Nelson announced her plans to leave Little Mix on Monday after nine years, saying she has found "the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard".
Speaking to fans during a livestream on TikTok, 27-year-old Payne was asked about Nelson's decision to leave the band.
Liam Payne apporte son soutien à Jesy des Little Mix, comparant son départ du groupe à celui de Zayn des One Direction. pic.twitter.com/9kq1aC1Y36
— H.TAG MEDIA (@HTAG_Media) December 15, 2020
At first, Payne cracked a joke that he had 'Zayn'd out', before adding: "No, let’s be serious about this. It’s always sad at this moment in time when bands get into that sort of thing."
"Having been there myself, I feel like Zayn had left for pretty much the same reasons in a weird way."
"But I wish Jesy all the best. I wish the girls all the best with carrying on as a three," he continued.
"It’s a tough time and I do feel for them, because everyone is watching in that little fish bowl at the moment."
"No one really understands what is going on and how it feels for some people … I'm sending a lot of love to Little Mix," he added.
Both One Direction and Little Mix were formed on The X Factor out of solo artists in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
