It has prompted nightmares for teenagers across the world – even though many of us knew this day would come eventually.
Zayn Malik has confirmed he will be the first member to leave One Direction after five years with the band, citing a desire “to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time”.
In a heartfelt statement apologising to his millions of fans around the world, Malik said he was doing “what feels right in my heart”.
“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.
“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.”
Fans first feared Malik might leave the pop group last week after a spokesperson said he was signed off the tour in Asia owing to “stress”. It followed a week in which Malik was forced to publicly apologised to his fiancée – Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards – after he was pictured holding hands with another woman while in Thailand.
”I’m 22 years old” Malik wrote on Twitter. “I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there’s a lot of jealous fucks in this world I’m sorry for what it looks like x.’
Malik’s squeaky clean image was also tainted by an incident last year after a video of him and bandmate Louis Tomlinson smoking cannabis and joking about drugs while on tour in Peru was posted online. Both were this week ordered to lodge a £3,000 bond with the government of the Philippines, which would be forfeited if they used or promoted the use of drugs during a scheduled show in Manila.
In the past, Malik has spoken about how difficult he found life on the road, telling one interviewer in 2012: “It’s really been hard. Last weekend was the first time in six months that I’ve been home.”
In a statement, the rest of the band said that they “totally respect his decision” to leave, 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,” it read. “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.”
Simon Cowell, founder of the band’s management company, Syco, and the man responsible for the group’s formation on the X Factor in 2010, thanked Malik “for everything he has done for One Direction”. However, he was also keen to emphasise that the band – the only group to have topped the US charts with four consecutive albums – would remain together, continue to tour and finish their album.
Cowell said: “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.”
One Direction are scheduled to perform in Jakarta on 25 March, before they embark on the rest of their world tour throughout the year, culminating in a series of shows at the O2 Arena, London. The question on everyone’s lips, however, is whether the band can survive the dramatic departure of one of their manufactured brotherhood.