Perrie Edwards has opened up about the 'hellish' ordeal she endured after her breakup with Zayn Malik, including seeing him move on with supermodel Gigi Hadid. The Little Mix singer, 32, shared her experiences on the Good Company podcast, revealing she suffered 'serious breakdowns' following the public end of their engagement in 2015.
Heartbreak and Public Scrutiny
Edwards, who now shares two children with former Arsenal footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, described the breakup as 'the worst thing in the world.' She said, 'When you go through heartbreak, it is hellish. You can't eat, you can't sleep, you feel horrendous. You feel abandoned and you don't feel good enough. You feel like you've been left for something better.'
The singer added that the public nature of the split made it worse: 'I felt like the world was then looking at me, laughing at me ... I felt embarrassed. I felt horrified. It was awful.'
Struggles with Mental Health
When asked how she stayed sane, Edwards admitted she didn't. 'I had serious breakdowns - because it wasn't just the heartbreak I was dealing with, I was dealing with everybody looking at me, and I felt ridiculed. I just couldn't cope with it.' She recalled breaking down during performances, crying constantly, and feeling depressed.
The 'Black Magic' singer explained the pressure of having to 'power through' for her Little Mix bandmates, while she just wanted to be 'left the f**k alone.'
Suggestions of an 'Overlap'
Edwards hinted at an 'overlap' between her relationship with Malik and his subsequent romance with Hadid. She said, 'I need to be careful how I say this, but let's just say there was a bit of an overlap.' She added, 'When you're moving on with somebody else, you always get on better. When you're the one left behind, that's when it's hard.'
She referenced Malik's song 'Pillowtalk' featuring Hadid in the video, calling it 'the nail in the coffin.' Edwards noted, 'There's so much that people don't know about, that I would never say - even though I've just spilled some beans.'
Finding Healthy Love
Edwards contrasted her past relationship with her current one with Oxlade-Chamberlain, whom she has been with since 2017. 'Now that I've experienced what healthy love is, with Alex, it's so nice. It doesn't make you feel sick to your stomach all the time, it doesn't make you feel icky. It doesn't make you feel like you're not worthy or you're not good enough.'
The couple have two children: son Axel, born in 2021, and daughter Alanis Valentine, born earlier this year. They got engaged in 2022.
Malik and Hadid had an on-off relationship for six years and share a daughter, Khai, born in 2020. They split in 2021. The Mirror has contacted Malik's representatives for comment.
