Zayn Malik suffered eating disorder

Zayn Malik suffered from an eating disorder whilst in One Direction.

The ‘Like I Would’ hitmaker has admitted there were times during the band’s 2014 tour where he wouldn’t eat for days.

He said: "When I look back at images of myself from November 2014, before the final tour, I can see how ill I was. Something I’ve never talked about in public before, but which I have come to terms with since leaving the band, is that I was suffering from an eating disorder.

"It wasn’t as though I had any concerns about my weight or anything like that, I’d just go for days – sometimes two or three days straight – without eating anything at all. It got quite serious, although at the time I didn’t recognise it for what it was."

And the 23-year-old singer – who is now dating Gigi Hadid – believes his eating disorder was all about regaining "control".

Writing in his self-titled book, he added: "I think it was about control. I didn’t feel like I had control over anything else in my life, but food was something I could control, so I did.

"I had lost so much weight I had become ill. The workload and the pace of my life on the road put together with the pressures and strains of everything going on within the band had badly affected my eating habits."

Meanwhile, Zayn has been showing Gigi his favourite British food – baked beans for breakfast.

She revealed recently: "I usually eat breakfast or have coffee before I do anything. I live near the Smile, and I love their scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. I drink orange juice and coffee always. At home I love scrambled eggs and toast; it’s just an easy go-to. My boyfriend, being British, got me into breakfast beans, so that’s what I’ve been eating lately."