Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid's tale: From the Valentine celebrations to 'never truly been in love'
A pop star who rules the music industry with his extraordinary vocals falls in love with the supermodel who struts on the runway and changes the concept of fabulous with just a hair flip - surely sounds too good to be true, but it was the truth for a snippet of time until the realities changed.
Introducing
Zayn Malik
and
Gigi
Hadid, the 'IT Couple,' who dated from 2015 to 2021 and have never looked back since the ultimate break-up. They have had their ups and downs, twisting turns and gasp-worthy moments. So, let's take a quick look at the timeline of the former, yet forever iconic couple.
When the night changed
Hadid and Malik were first rumored to have been gushing about each other in November 2015. The US Weekly's source reported that they spotted the duo - but wouldn't call them 'boyfriend and girlfriend' - yet.
When they had met, they were recovering from the previous relationships. Gigi and
Joe Jonas
broke up four months ago, and
Zayn
broke off his engagement with Little Mix's Perrie Edwards in August.
The butterflies on social media
A couple of days later, Gigi and Zayn were spotted holding hands in Los Angeles. Following month, Zayn posted a now-deleted picture of a polaroid featuring the duo being intimate, and in January, Gigi shared his photo of holding her cat, Cleo.
'PILLOWTALK'
After dodging the questions about the obvious relationship, Zayn Malik released his solo, 'PILLOWTALK' and a music video starring Gigi Hadid.
Valentine's day and the MET
In 2016, Gigi shared Zayn's picture on Valentine's day with a heart in the caption, and were spotted multiple times by the paparazzi.
The official red carpet debut of the former duo happened on the steps of the MET Gala, where they matched the outfits and posed in front of the cameras in all smiles.
The months of photo features and PDA
In an interview with Elle, Gigi Hadid made it absolutely clear that they haven't broken up in July 2016, despite the rumours that were surfacing. When asked about the preference 'night in or night out,' she said, 'Night in. Cook. Paint. Play with my dog. Hang out with my boyfriend. Watch movies. Just chill."
With the more instagram posts, the couple would make the fans gush and remind them that they indeed are the power couple.
Zayn Malik opened up about Gigi Hadid
A year after being together, Zayn Malik revealed what exactly Gigi means to him. 'She's a very intelligent woman. She knows how to carry herself. She's quite classy and that. She's not, like, arrogant in any way. She's confident. She carries it well. She's cool,' the 32-year-old singer told ES magazine.
Additionally, he revealed how exactly did they meet.
Zayn saw Gigi at the Victoria's Secret Party, and he recognised her from the pictures. Being instantly smitten, Zayn asked her out in November 2015.
Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid broke up...
After being on the cover pages and celebrating holidays with each other's families, the couple broke up in March 2018, leaving multiple hearts broken. They even shared the separate statements.
'Gigi and I had an incredibly meaningful, loving and fun relationship and I have a huge amount of respect and adoration for Gigi as a woman and a friend. She has such an incredible soul. I'm grateful to all of our fans for respecting this difficult decision and our privacy at this time ... we love you all,' Zayn wrote.
'Breakup statements often seem impersonal because there is really no way to put into words what two people experience together over a few years. I'm forever grateful for the love, time and life lessons that Z and I shared. I want nothing but the best for him and will continue to support him as a friend that I have immense respect and love for. As for the future, whatever's meant to be will be,' Gigi wrote, leaving a little space for reconciliation.
And guess what? ZiGi were back!
Zayn and Gigi reconciled a month later and were spotted being intimate on the streets of New York City.
Zayn stated that the reconciliation doesn't need any labels in an interview with GQ in June 2018. 'I'm really thankful that I met her … We're adults. We don't need to put a label on it, make it something for people's expectations. I had a very negative outlook on things [while recording my first solo album]. That might have been adolescence or testosterone or whatever the f--- was running through my body at the time. She's helped me to look at things from a positive angle,' he said.
ZiGi broke up…
In January 2019, multiple media outlets reported that they have broken up. 'Gigi and Zayn have broken up, but not because they don't love one another. After trying for a long time, the couple just couldn't make it work. Zayn has been dealing with personal things for a while and Gigi has become a comfort blanket for him,' the source said, according to ET.
@GiGiHadid love you
Zayn randomly posted @GiGiHadid love you in March 2019, without any context.
Yet again, they reconcile…
After being spotted with another rumoured love interests, Gigi and Zayn were back again in January 2020. In the following months, they shared multiple posts and stories.
Khai Hadid Malik
In September 2020, Gigi and Zayn welcomed a baby girl, Khai. The sources confirmed that they were thrilled welcome the baby girl. 'They've been through their ups and downs, but neither stopped caring about the other. They've jumped on the timing of having a baby and are preparing for their new lives. Gigi is young but always said she wants several kids. She's sensitive and nurturing and will be a great mom,' according to People.
Yolanda Hadid and Zayn Malik
After celebrating a year of Khai Hadid, in October 2021, TMZ ran a story stating Yolanda Hadid, the mother of Gigi, claimed that Zayn Malik 'struck her.' Zayn released a public statement, 'I adamantly deny striking Yolanda Hadid, and for the sake of my daughter I decline to give any further details, and I hope that Yolanda will reconsider her false allegations and move towards healing these family issues in private."
'This was and still should be a private matter but it seems for now there is divisiveness and despite my efforts to restore us to a peaceful family environment that will allow for me to co-parent my daughter in a manner in which she deserves, this has been 'leaked' to the press,' he added on twitter.
'Never truly been in love'
Following the drama, everyone was calm about it and no press charges were involved. Zayn and Gigi decided to peacefully co-parent Khai. On May 9, 2024, Zayn stated that he isn't sure that he's 'ever been in love' after dating Gigi Hadid. 'When you ask me, 'What is love?' I think the reason that's hard for me to answer that question is I don't know if I've ever actually truly been in love,' he said in the Zach Sang Show.
As for Gigi Hadid, she recently celebrated her 30th birthday with her rumoured boyfriend, Bradley Cooper, and her friends.
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