Simon Cowell asks if anyone misses Zayn Malik while accepting award from One Direction

He also thanked the man who invented botox in a surprisingly light-hearted speech

(Getty)

Simon Cowell seemed to have a nice time at the Music Industry Trust awards, but made things awkward when he accepted an award from One Direction.

The mogul joined Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne on stage to receive the award, which was given to him in recognition of his contribution to the music industry.

The award was well-deserved, as Cowell’s decision to stitch together a boyband made of soloists who didn’t make it through to bootcamp on The X Factor lead to the creation of one of the biggest bands on the planet.

But he took a swipe at Zayn Malik, who left the band earlier this year, when he went to collect the award.

“Just by luck I get the award I’ve been wanting all my life and I’m completely hammered,” Cowell said. “Guys, who misses Zayn?”

While the audience cheered at the joke, the 1D boys watched on slightly awkwardly.

Cowell also thanked the man who invented botox in his slightly slurred speech.

“You have no idea how much money you've made me,” he began. “I can't look surprised but... “