Zayn Malik, formerly of One Direction and still breaking hearts worldwide, caused a stir earlier this year when he was photographed holding hands with a (formerly) anonymous clubgoer in Thailand, despite being engaged to Little Mix‘s Perrie Edwards. The incident may or may not have led to his departure from the group shortly thereafter.
Zayn Malik Declares Love For Fiancee After Cheating Rumors Surface
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Now, Lauren Richardson, 26, is telling her side of the story to the Daily Star — conveniently just prior to her debut on British reality show Love Island. She’s apparently received hate mail from Directioners worldwide who blame her for potentially “Yoko-ing” the group: “Fans were saying to me, ‘It’s your fault, we are gonna get you’ and ‘We hate you.'”
Zayn Malik Breaks Silence After Exiting One Direction
Richarson also maintains that her relationship with Zayn was purely platonic, saying, “It was just an innocent picture. Nothing else happened. He is a handsome lad but it is not something I would dive into.”