Liam Payne spoke of how ‘gutted’ he and the rest of his One Direction bandmates are ‘gutted’ about Zayn Malik’s exit from the group, but says they will carry on ‘stronger than ever’.
Liam told The Sun: "We're gutted Zayn chose to leave.
"But now after a few performances as a four-piece, we feel confident and determined to carry on stronger than ever."
The band continued their world tour without Zayn last weekend after his shock departure.
Louis Tomlinson also squashed rumours that the band would be splitting up.
The 24-year-old said: "All four of us are 100 per cent committed to staying in One Direction."
Zayn, who said there was no ‘bad blood’ between him and his former bandmates, was signed off with stress.
In an official statement issued last week, One Direction said: “We're really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future.
“The past five years have been beyond amazing, we've gone through so much together, so we will always be friends.
"The four of us will now continue. We're looking forward to recording the new album and seeing all the fans on the next stage of the world tour."
The four remaining 1D members have reportedly been very supportive to Zayn and his decision.