Zayn Malik was kicked off Tinder after being accused of catfishing.
The former One Direction star, 31, – who was previously engaged to Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards and has 3-year-old daughter Khai with former partner Gigi Hadid – tried to find a partner via the dating app.
However, the app mistakenly thought he was impersonating itself, resulting in his account being terminated.
He told Nylon magazine: ‘It hasn’t been a success for me, to be honest. Everyone accused me of catfishing. They say, “What are you using Zayn Malik’s photos for?” I’ve been sent off once or twice.’
But the What I Am singer is no longer looking for love as he tries to understand himself better and believes he only sought relationships in an attempt to be normal amid intense fame.
Zayn Malik was kicked off Tinder after being accused of catfishing because his profile was thought to be just a regular person trying to impersonate him
He said: ‘I’m really satisfied and happy to be single for the first time in my life.
‘I was in a relationship from the age of 17 to 21. I was engaged and [planned to get] married and I didn’t know anything about anything at the time.
“I thought so, because I was 21. I was legally allowed to do anything, but I didn’t know a thing about it.”
‘From the age of 21 to 27 I was with Gi, and we had a child, and I didn’t really take the time to get to know myself…
Zayn reflected on living a “really chill life” in Bradford before finding fame as a teenager and admitted that because his parents were “old-school” he was hesitant to bring home a girl.
So when he got the chance to date, he “jumped first” and believed that getting married and having a child suddenly made him a “grown man.”
But if Zayn does find another partner, he has promised not to rush things.
He noted that this would “probably” happen[be] wisely bides his time with relationships, rather than ‘fully investing’ in one person and expecting it to be a lifelong commitment.
From 2012 to 2015, Zayn dated Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards (pictured) and although they were engaged, he later called things off
Zayn and Gigi initially dated from 2015 to 2018. After a brief split, they reconciled but split again in 2019, before reuniting in early 2020 and welcoming their daughter Khai.
The former One Direction star, 31, welcomed his daughter Khai with ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid in September 2020 before the pair called time on their romantic relationship for good in October 2021.
The singer (far right) was just 17 when he shot to fame as part of One Direction in 2010 (L-R Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn)
The former X Factor contestant enjoys spending time with his daughter, but is otherwise content in his own company.
He only sees his ‘daughter 50% of the time’ and would like to have her almost twice as much, but he likes to take her to theme parks and on days out whenever he can.
‘We go to Disney on Ice or we go to the Nickelodeon theme park. Or we go to the beach. This is how I get out…
‘My mother said when I was young: I would like to sit in the corner and read alone, play alone. I enjoy my own space. To me it is not something that is abnormal.’