Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik of One Direction perform in London in 2012. Photo / Getty Images

One Direction’s split in January 2016 can be traced back to the moment Zayn Malik announced he was leaving the band in 2015.

He previously put the shock decision down to “stress” before embarking on his solo career.

But now in his first interview in six years, he’s revealed the real reason for his departure from the biggest boyband in the world.

He spoke to Call Her Daddy podcast host Call Her Daddy, revealing he realised the band was on the way out when other members didn’t want to renew their contracts.

“I knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve,” he admitted, adding, “I was like, ‘I’m just going to get out of here, I think this is done’.”

“I just seen it [coming] and I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. If I’m being completely honest with you, I was like, ‘I’m going to jump the gun here’.

“I’m a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I’m serious about it and I’m competitive, so I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing. That was the reason.”

He went on to confirm that there was tension among the band’s members, who had been burdened by the pressure of worldwide fame since they debuted on The X Factor UK.

Malik admitted that there were “obviously underlying tensions within our friendships, too”.

“We’d got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest.”

The star appeared on the podcast ahead of the release of his first single in years, Love Like That, coming out on July 21.

The former One Direction member also addressed the 2021 incident in which he was accused of harassing ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid as well as her mother Yolanda Hadid.

He pleaded no contest to four charges of harassment after an argument among the family members, during which he allegedly grabbed and shoved Yolanda.

The star went on to deny hitting his ex-girlfriend’s mother. No charges were filed in relation to the accusation, and he agreed not to contest the charges so he could focus on co-parenting.

He later issued a statement in which he denied hitting the elder Hadid (no charges were filed relating to this accusation) and said he had agreed not to contest the harassment charges so he could concentrate on raising his daughter, Khai, with his ex-partner.

“I just didn’t want to bring attention to anything,” Malik told Cooper.

“I just wasn’t trying to get into a negative back and forth with her [Yolanda], or any sort of narrative online where my daughter was going to look back and read that. There was no point.

“I believe I dealt with it in the best way, an amicable, respectful way, and that’s all that needs to be said.”