Gigi Hadid Reportedly ‘Blindsided’ by Zayn Malik’s Controversial Comments About Their Past Relationship
Supermodel Gigi Hadid is reportedly feeling utterly blindsided and deeply hurt by recent remarks made by her former partner, singer Zayn Malik. In a candid interview that has sent ripples through their inner circle, Malik, 33, claimed he was never truly “in love” with Hadid, 30, despite their six-year on-again, off-again relationship, which saw the birth of their daughter, Khai, now five.
The pair, who welcomed Khai in 2020 and subsequently parted ways in 2021, had an unspoken agreement to refrain from publicly discussing each other. However, Malik’s recent comments have shattered this pact, leaving those close to Hadid unimpressed and questioning his motives.
A source close to Hadid expressed dismay, stating, “There is nothing respectful about badmouthing the mother of your child. Gigi was completely blindsided. It’s all so unnecessary and pathetic. It feels like a grubby ploy to get some headlines ahead of his new album launch.”
The source continued, expressing disbelief at Malik’s assertion: “How can he say he was never in love with her? They were together for six years. To even suggest that their daughter was not the product of a loving relationship is cruel beyond words.”
The sting of Malik’s words is amplified by Hadid’s consistent discretion. “Gigi has always refrained from saying an unkind word about him, so it makes it all the more humiliating,” the source added. Representatives for both Hadid and Malik have been contacted for comment regarding these developments.
Zayn Malik’s Perspective on Love and Relationships
During his appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, Malik reflected on his past relationship with the Victoria’s Secret angel. He articulated his evolving understanding of love, stating, “My understanding of love is always developing. At that moment in time, I might have thought it was love, but as I’ve got older, I’ve realised maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was lust. Maybe it was this. Maybe it was that. I don’t feel like it was love.”
However, Malik was quick to qualify his statements, emphasising that while he may not have been “in love” romantically, he still holds a deep affection for Hadid as the mother of his child. “To be fair, just to have this on the record, I will always love G, because she is the reason my child is on this Earth and I have the utmost respect for her,” he insisted. “I will always love her, but I don’t know if I was in love with her. I do love her a crazy amount, but no, I don’t think I was in love with her at that point. Otherwise I would have been a better version of myself.”
The Die For Me star also revealed his current stance on public relationships, stating that he is “not looking for a public relationship again,” having learned from past experiences that they “don’t work for me.”
The Incident with Yolanda Hadid and Co-Parenting Dynamics
The couple’s six-year romance reportedly ended in 2021 following an altercation between Malik and Hadid’s mother, Yolanda Hadid. Court documents revealed that Malik pleaded no contest to charges stemming from an alleged incident in September 2021, where he is accused of pushing Yolanda into a dresser and using offensive language. As a result, he was placed on 360 days of probation and required to complete an anger management class.
In a previous appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast in 2023, Malik described the incident as “family issues” and stated he believed he handled the situation “in the best way.” He expressed his preference for not engaging in online discussions or justifying himself, noting, “I knew what the situation was and I knew what happened and the people involved know what happened and that’s all that matters.” He further elaborated on his desire to avoid creating negative narratives for his daughter, saying, “I didn’t want to bring attention and I didn’t want to get a negative back and forth with her [or] any sort of narrative for my daughter to eventually read.”
Malik emphasised his commitment to his child, stating, “I’m very hands on with my child, if I could have 60 per cent I would take it.”
In contrast, Gigi Hadid offered a more harmonious perspective on their co-parenting arrangement in an interview with Vogue last year. She revealed that she and Malik plan their custody schedules months in advance, acknowledging that while adjustments are sometimes necessary, they “help each other out and have each other’s backs.” Hadid described their current phase of partnership as one built on “love, and a feeling of camaraderie.”
Reflecting on the public’s intense interest in their personal lives, Hadid lamented, “There is the hard part of the world knowing this much, and thinking they know everything. And at the end of the day, we’re not interested in giving everyone our whole story. What we are interested in is raising our daughter together. With so much respect for each other, and not just as co-parents, but what we’ve been through together.”
Since her split from Malik, Gigi Hadid has reportedly begun a new romance with Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper, 51, whom she met in October 2023.
