Pop star Zayn Malik and model Gigi Hadid have called it quits after more than two years of dating.
According to The Sun, the young couple broke up earlier this month (Mar18) after struggling to maintain its romance due to busy schedules.
"Sadly Zayn and Gigi have separated," a source told the publication on Tuesday (13Mar18). "They are no longer a couple but they do remain close and are supportive of each other."
The insider added, "The reality is that they've grown apart, having been together for a long time. They have crazy work schedules that would put pressure on any relationship."
Now Zayn has confirmed the sad news in a candid post on Twitter.
"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 friend," he shared. "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 wish this news could have come from us first. We love you all."
The statement emerges shortly after the former One Direction star hinted at trouble in his personal life as he shared a shirtless selfie on Instagram.
"When Life throws you lemons, catch em so they don't hit you in the f**king face (sic)," he captioned the shot.
Zayn and Gigi, who featured in his Pillowtalk music video, were last spotted in public together in New York City in late January (18).
The 25-year-old has been relaxing on vacation in Miami, Florida in recent days, while, Gigi, 22, has been keeping busy in Europe, where she recently took part in Italy's Milan Fashion Week, and Paris Fashion Week in France.
The pair first started dating in November, 2015, just three months after Zayn called off his engagement to Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards. Gigi was also newly-single at the time, after parting ways with Joe Jonas.
The split news emerges two months after Gigi's mother, former model Yolanda Hadid, hinted at a possible engagement.
Gushing about the romance in January (18), Yolanda referred to Zayn as her "son" in a chat with People magazine, branding him a "sweetheart".
