Zayn Malik's anxiety issues preventing him from performing solo?

Former One Direction member Zayn Malik has cancelled some gigs in Japan after initially rescheduling them, and speculations are rife that it could be due to his anxiety issues.

According to The Sun, a number of reasons such as "a change in the recording dates" and hectic work schedule have been cited as reasons for the cancellation. But insiders claim the real reason could be anxiety.

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"If he never performs, there's a danger his solo career will flop," a source told The Sun.

Malik's struggles with anxiety came to light last year after he pulled out of Capital FM's Summertime Ball. Malik immediately took to Twitter to apologise to his fans, writing: "Unfortunately my anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me."

Three months later, he cancelled a second gig at Dubai's Autism Rocks. At that time, he told fans that he had made progress, but did not feel "sufficiently confident" to perform solo.

Malik opened up about his mental health issues and eating disorder in an interview with The Sunday Time Style magazine in March, saying he was in a much better place after spending time away from the spotlight.

Malik said of his eating disorder: "It was a control thing. Every area of my life was so regimented and controlled it was the one area where I could say, 'No, I'm not eating that'."

"Once I got over the control, the eating just came back into place, supernaturally," he said. "I came back to the UK and spent some time with my mum and got some TLC, and she cooked me food and I got back in touch, mentally, with a lot of the things I'd lost. I now have no problem with anxiety. It was something I was dealing with in the band."