Stressed Zayn Malik takes a break from One Direction tour

Zayn Malik has pulled out of One Direction's tour of the Far East due to the stress of rumors suggesting he has been cheating on fiancee Perrie Edwards in between gigs.

The 22-year-old pop star has slammed reports suggesting he cheated on Edwards, after he was photographed holding another woman's hand during a recent trip to Phuket, Thailand, and now The Story Of My Life hitmaker is heading home following the fall-out.

Addressing the drama on Twitter on Wednesday (18Mar15), Malik wrote, "I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous f**ks in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like."

Now, a One Direction spokesman tells Britain's The Sun newspaper that the singer has "signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate".

The representative adds, "The band wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta."

Malik will reportedly miss the band's next three performances in Asia, but he is expected to rejoin the group for a show in Cape Town, South Africa on 28 March (15).

It's not the first time he has missed performances and promotional duties - last year (14), Malik was forced to pull out of a series of planned events in America due to illness.