One Direction admit they were 'angry' with Zayn Malik's decision to leave the band

Louis also spoke of reconciling with his former bandmate following their spat on Twitter over his new solo material

Zayn Malik’s decision to leave One Direction, following his exit from the Asian leg of their world tour with stress-related issues could have been career-ending for them.

Initially, the singer said he’d decided to call it a day to live a “normal life” away from the glare of the media spotlight. Then he was spotted going into a recording studio with Naughty Boy.

A few days later, fans were able to hear his first solo effort. And the sparks flew on Twitter accordingly.

Now, the band have admitted how they really felt about the whole debacle.

Former One Direction band member Zayn Malik receives his Outstanding Achievement in Music award at the 2015 British Asian Awards (PA)

In a candid interview with “friend” James Corden, Liam Payne said they were “a little bit angry” with him initially.

“We were surprised, but I think we all knew the sort of vibe Zayn was feeling. From the outside people could tell as well,” he said.

“Like I say, we were angry at first but then it was just a bit more disappointed. We wish him the best of luck with whatever he gets up to. There's no hard feelings, and things are going to carry on as usual.”

“Twitter is great for connecting with the fans, but also if you feel like saying something you probably shouldn't it's also good for that as well - or bad in this case.