Members of boy band One Direction, Niall Horan (L-R), Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles, attend the Royal Variety Performance in support of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, at the Palladium Theatre in London Novembe
Members of boy band One Direction, Niall Horan (L-R), Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles, attend the Royal Variety Performance in support of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, at the Palladium Theatre in London November 13, 2014. Reuters/Yui Mok/Pool

Zayn Malik leaves One Direction for good. The band is not disbanding, however, as the rest of the members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan would continue as a four-piece.

After exiting the Asian leg of the band’s “On The Road Again” tour and going back to the U.K. due to stress, Zayn now officially resigned himself to be a normal 22-year-old again. The band itself confirmed the news on their Facebook Page, which featured statements from Zayn himself, the four remaining members and Simon Cowell. According to Zayn, his life with the band has been more than he could have ever imagined, but five years of performing with the band for him is already enough. He thinks this is the right time to leave the group. He also extended his apologies to fans who might be disappointed with the news.

The rest of the members also confirmed the sad circumstances but provided some good news by saying they would continue their world tour as a four piece and would drop a fifth album later this year. In their statement, the four said that they are really sad to see one of their members leave, but they respect Zayn’s decision. The four also send their love to Zayn’s future. They also said that Zayn would always be their friend, considering that they have spent almost every waking moment for the last five years together. The four then promised their fans that they would continue the band’s journey by completing their world tour and recording a new album.

Simon Cowell, the brainchild of the boy band, also gave his reaction to the unfortunate news. Cowell thanked Zayn for what he did for the group and said that he is a witness of how much Zayn has changed into a more mature and confident man since 2010. He also said that the four are still excited for the future of their band.

Before deciding to quit for good, Zayn is thought to have left the band at the Asian leg of its tour because he might have reached his boiling point when the media alleged that he is cheatin on his fiancée, Perrie Edwards. Zayn himself took to his Twitter to tell off those who are “jealous” of his relationship and wants to break it. A source, however, told People magazine that Zayn, being the quiet one, had been struggling with the fame of the band right for the start. "Pretty quickly after Zayn got into the X Factor machine he realized that he didn't actually want to be famous and he was quite happy to hide behind the other boys," the source said.

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