Zayn Malik Taking a Hiatus from 1D's Tour Due to Stress

Rolling Stone: One Direction's Zayn Malik is taking a hiatus from the band's world tour. Billboard has confirmed the singer's return to his home in the UK as the remaining four members continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta. There is no word on when he will return. 

According to a rep, Malik "has been signed off with stress." The news follows a scandal surrounding a photo of the 22-year-old holding hands with a girl other than his fiancée Perrie Edwards of Little Mix. He responded to the rumors on Twitter Wednesday night by declaring his love for Edwards.

Malik's departure is not the first time One Direction has had to perform without him. In November, he did not make an appearance on the Today show due to a stomach issue. While host Matt Lauer asked the band if his absence was related to substance abuse, both the band and Malik have denied these claims.

While a new album hasn't been confirmed by the boy band, Malik has been working on new music with UK artist Naughty Boy. The producer and songwriter who had a hit with Sam Smith with the single "La La La" revealed to The Independent that the pair have written several songs together, including one titled "One Chance to Dance" to be recorded by One Direction.

Last fall, the band released their fourth album Four. The album had been a huge departure for the band, who mainly eschewed pop and dance in favor of folk rock. One Direction are currently on a world tour that will last through October of this year with a break in late April and May.

Luke saw this on Twitter and said "oh shit, Zayn's leaving One Direction" and I legit got scared. And then I saw that he's just taking a break from the tour. AKA he's a bitch. Like bro, if you can't handle people taking pictures of you and your side piece while you're on the road, DON'T HAVE A SIDE PIECE. But of course he has a side piece, he's in a boy band. And that leads to my other point. YOU'RE IN A BOY BAND BRO. Probably gonna have to deal with people taking pictures. So if you can't handle the boy band life (even though he has for the last five years) then get out. But I don't want him out. Just want him to grow a pair and deal with the boy band life. Can't just hang your bros out to dry like that. Who wants to go to a 1D concert when there's only four of them there? Not me. Let me know when you get rid of that vagina Zayn and I'll buy some tickets to your show.