Zayn Malik Cheating Scandal: Little Mix's Perrie Edwards Claims 'There Was a Bit of an Overlap' With Gigi Hadid

Perrie Edwards is opening up about the end of her engagement to Zayn Malik and his subsequent relationship with Gigi Hadid. The Little Mix singer suggested there was 'a bit of an overlap' between her relationship with Malik and his romance with the model.

Edwards also reflected that Malik's growing relationship with Hadid at the time may have made it easier for him to move on from their years‑long engagement.

Perrie Edwards On Moving On From Zayn Malik

During an interview on Great Company with Jamie Laing, Edwards said she needs to be careful with how she describes her relationship with Malik, as well as her ex's relationship with Hadid. After indirectly indicating that there was cheating involved, Edwards said it is always harder for the person left behind to move on from the relationship.

'There was a bit of a, I'm just going to say it, so, there was a bit of an overlap... When you're moving on with somebody else, you always get on better. When you're the one left behind—that's what's hard. Because it's like, 'Oh s--t they've left me for someone more beautiful than me, someone better than me.' Whatever it is. That's how it felt at the time,' she said.

Talking about the timeline of Malik's alleged cheating, Edwards said that she thinks the affair started sometime in 2016 when the supermodel starred in his music video for 'Pillowtalk.'

'Then you have a song that they've written about you, and then somebody else is in the video. It was one thing after the other, after the other,' she said.

Zayn Malik Refuses To Reveal 'Pillowtalk' Muse

Malik previously shared that he wrote 'Pillowtalk' shortly after he left One Direction in 2015. When asked who the song was for, Malik said it is so personal to him, and his supporters can figure it out for themselves.

This is not the first time that Edwards has spoken about her relationship with Malik. In 2016, she wrote in Little Mix's book 'Our World' that Malik allegedly ended their engagement over the phone. 'A four-year relationship, two-year engagement ended by a simple text message. Just like that,' she wrote.

Malik has denied the allegation, but he did say that he was never in love with either of his exes. Since Malik was just 17 years old when he first dated Edwards, he thought that he was in love and ready for an engagement at 21. He later realised that he was still too immature to settle down.

'From 17 to 21, I was in a relationship. I was engaged. I didn't know anything about anything at that point. I thought I did, because I was 21. I was legally allowed to do everything, but I didn't know s***,' Malik told Nylon.

'Healthy Love'

Edwards says she is in a far better place now when it comes to relationships. The singer is engaged to footballer Alex Oxlade‑Chamberlain and is pleased to be experiencing what she describes as healthy love.

'You can say it was young puppy love or whatever, and you're like whisked away with it. And I think now that I've experienced what healthy love is, it's so nice. It doesn't make you feel sick to your stomach all the time,' she said.

Edwards and Oxlade‑Chamberlain share two children, Axel, 4, and Alanis Valentine, whom they welcomed in January 2026.