One Direction's Zayn Malik has been accused of cheating on his fiancée, Little Mix's Perrie Edwards, after a photo of him cosying with a blonde went viral.
The photo in question shows Malik hugging the woman, identified as Lauren Rich by Hollywood Life, and resting his hands on her bare stomach. They were also reportedly spotted holding hands outside the Seduction club in Phuket, Thailand.
Rich posted the picture to her Instagram page and wrote, "Partying with Zayn from One Direction last night #thailand #1D #best #night #patong #phuket."
Fans of Malik and Edwards soon went into a meltdown on Twitter, with many accusing him of cheating on his 21-year-old fiancée. And a flustered Malik soon put the rumours to rest with a tweet saying he was still in love with Edwards.
"I'm 22 years old... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous fucks in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like x," the 22-year-old singer wrote.
Edwards, in the meantime, is yet to react to Malik's cheating allegations, and it's a given that she wouldn't be too happy to see pictures of him getting cosy with someone else. But many are wondering if will she call off their wedding in the wake of the cheating scandal.
It seems unlikely, but if a recent report is to be believed, Malik is rethinking his decision to walk down the aisle. Apparently he is confused about his future, especially after his bandmates reminded him he was too young to get married and settle down.
"In the last few months, the 1D lads have planted a seed in Zayn's head — it's if he's ready for marriage. The latest incident, with him behaving inappropriately with a female fan, just shows he's not ready to settle down just yet. Zayn is still so young — so Niall, Louis, Liam and Harry took the time to remind him of that as they've been touring around the world," a source told HollywoodLife.
The source added that the boys have nothing against Edwards and that they think she's a sweet girl. "But they've just wondered whether marriage is right for the pair. It's left Zayn a little confused as far as the future is concerned — and what will happen next. He cares for Perrie a lot and doesn't want to let her down. It's up to him to make a decision because he can't string Perrie along if he's not ready — it's just not fair for her," the source concluded.