Liam Payne just revealed the real reason why Zayn Malik left the band-to spend time with his fiancée, Perrie Edwards.

The 21-year old One Direction member confirmed the speculations that it was Edwards who was responsible for Malik's decision to quit the band. Payne, who dropped by Capital FM's Breakfast Show on Wednesday, admitted that his friend merely "wanted to spend time with his missus."

Like Us on Facebook

A lot of the band's most loyal fans have blamed the Little Mix singer for Malik's departure from the world-famous group, labeling her as the "Yoko Ono" of their generation.

Malik made a surprise departure from the boy band back in March and claimed that he just wanted to live like "a normal 22-year old." However, he has since been spotted going in and out of the studio and is reportedly gearing up for a solo comeback with producer Naughty Boy, while consistently avoiding addressing the rumors that suggest Edwards was behind his decision. 

Payne confirmed the news for his former band mate and told the show's host, Lisa Snowdon, "Sometimes you have to move on because you are not enjoying what you are doing as much as you used to," and added that the band is "cool" with Malik's decision to spend time with Edwards.

Malik's unexpected departure from the popular group came after photos of him hugging and holding a young woman surfaced while on a short vacation in Thailand.

Not long after the photos went viral, Malik immediately went back to UK for "crisis talks" before finally announcing that he was leaving One Direction.

While he did not mention Edwards in his official statement, 1D fans quickly assumed that it was her who may have encouraged him to leave.

Since parting ways with the band, Malik and Edwards, who have been engaged since August 2013, have maintained a united front. The couple recently took a holiday with Malik's family in France and shared a series of adorable selfies during their trip with Edwards looking extremely happy despite being slammed by Malik's fans.

TagsLiam Payne, Zayn Malik, Perrie Edwards, One Direction, 1D, Zayn Malik leaving, Why did Zayn Malik leave One Direction?