Written on Kacper Sobieskithese walls are the stories that Zayn Malik is ready to explain.  

After years of shying away from the spotlight, the One Direction alum is getting candid about dating life—including his breakups with Gigi Hadid and Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards. 

"From 17 to 21, I was in a relationship," Zayn recalled of his long term relationship, and subsequent engagement to Perrie, which he broke off in 2015, in a Nylon profile published May 14. "I didn't know anything about anything at that point. I thought I did, because I was 21. I was legally allowed to do everything, but I didn't know s--t."

The same year he ended things with Perrie, he exited the band—which was also fronted by Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne—and began romancing Gigi. (Perrie has since found love with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the duo share 2-year-old Axel.)  But ultimately, his relationship with the supermodel, with whom he shares 3-year-old daughter Khai, wasn't built to last.  

As Zayn put it, "From 21 to 27, I was with Gi, and we had a kid, and I didn't really take much time to get to know myself."

Since the duo's 2021 breakup, Gigi has since moved on to a romance with Bradley Cooper. Meanwhile, the "Pillowtalk" singer has turned his focus on fatherhood, but he admitted that he has dabbled in the online dating scene—including downloading Tinder. 

"It's not been too successful for me, I'll be honest," Zayn added. "Everyone accused me of catfishing. They're like, ‘What are you using Zayn Malik's pictures for?' I've been kicked off once or twice."

But for the 31-year-old, life with his daughter on his Pennsylvania farm is enough for him at the moment, and he's not eager to fall in love. 

Zayn continued, "I'm really content and happy with being single for the first time in my life."

Leading up to his fourth studio album release, Zayn has a lot to be happy about. And while his past relationships are being kept in the rearview, it doesn't seem like he has any regrets—especially when it comes to his daughter. 

"Since I've had my daughter, the main thing in my mind is trying to be a good example to her," Zayn said on a June episode of Call Her Daddy. "I want her to be able to look at me and be like, 'My dad's doing this.'"

Keep reading to see all of Zayn's moments with his and Gigi's daughter.

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