Gigi Hadid is reportedly left "blindsided" after ex Zayn Malik recently claimed he was never truly in love with her during their six-year on-and-off relationship, which produced their daughter Khai, now five years old.
The singer, 33, made the comments on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast, despite an understanding between the former couple to avoid speaking publicly about one another.
A source close to the model told The Sun, "There is nothing respectful about badmouthing the mother of your child. Gigi was completely blindsided. It's all so unnecessary and pathetic. It feels like a grubby ploy to get some headlines ahead of his new album launch."
The same source added, "How can he say he was never in love with her? They were together for six years. To even suggest that their daughter was not the product of a loving relationship is cruel beyond words."
During the podcast, Zayn clarified that, while he might not have been romantically in love at the time, he still feels deep affection for Gigi.
"To be fair, just to have this on the record, I will always love G, because she is the reason my child is on this Earth and I have the utmost respect for her," he said.
He added: "I will always love her, but I don't know if I was in love with her. I do love her a crazy amount, but no, I don't think it was love at that point. Otherwise I would have been a better version of myself."
The former One Direction star reflected on his evolving understanding of love, explaining, "My understanding of love is always developing. At that moment in time, I might have thought it was love, but as I've got older, I've realized maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was lust. Maybe it was this. Maybe it was that. I don't feel like it was love."
Despite the tumultuous romance, Zayn added his commitment as a father. "I'm very hands on with my child, if I could have 60 percent I would take it."
Past Incidents and Co-Parenting Efforts
Gigi and Zayn's relationship ended in 2021 following a public altercation between the singer and Gigi's mother, Yolanda Hadid. Court documents seen by BBC revealed Zayn pleaded no contest to the charges and completed 360 days of probation, along with an anger management course.
Reflecting on the situation in 2023, Zayn called it "family issues" and said he believed he "dealt with it in the best way," adding, "I don't get involved when people talk online. My most valuable thing for me is time and I don't want to be justifying myself."
Gigi has maintained a diplomatic approach, focusing on raising Khai collaboratively.
Speaking to Vogue, she explained, "Zayn and I do our custody schedules months in advance. That doesn't mean that it doesn't change here and there, but we help each other out and have each other's backs."
She added, "What we are interested in is raising our daughter together. With so much respect for each other, and not just as co-parents, but what we've been through together."
Since their split, Gigi has moved on and started dating Hollywood star Bradley Cooper, 51, after meeting him in October 2023.
Originally published on Enstarz
