Zayn Malik quits One Direction: Perrie Edwards attacked by fans on Twitter, Little Mix singer compared to Yoko Ono

One Direction fans are blaming Zayn Malik's fiancee Perrie Edwards for his decision to quit the British boy band.

The 22-year-old singer was photographed with a female fan in Thailand, and there were rumours that the What Makes You Beautiful singer cheated on Edwards.

"I'm 22 years old... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous f**ks in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like," Malik wrote on his Twitter account.

Following that, news broke that Malik was leaving the band.

"My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world," Malik announced the news on the group's Facebook page.

Many fans took to social media to criticise the Little Mix singer, and also compared her to John Lennon's wife Yoko Ono.

Meanwhile, during an interview with Irish radio station RTE Radio One, X Factor judge Louis Walsh admitted he knew the band was having issues for some time.

"I have heard the rumours for the last few weeks that everything wasn't happy in paradise," he said.

"The problem with these guys is they've been in a bubble for the last five years, pressure, working, a lot harder than people think, so something had to give. So Zayn was the first person just to crack up a little bit."

"He's had an amazing time with the other guys. That's the good side of it. The dark side of it is all the travelling, the airports, in a bubble, not really seeing real life," Walsh added.