Zayn Malik has denied hitting Yolanda Hadid, the mother of his partner Gigi Hadid and grandmother of their child, in a domestic argument.
Court documents filed in Pennsylvania this week show that Malik has pleaded guilty to four citations of “harassment – course of conduct with no legitimate purpose”. TMZ reports that further court documents allege Malik had been verbally abusive towards Yolanda, and that he had “shoved her into a dresser”, but his aforementioned statement to press denied any physical abuse.
The pop singer and former member of boyband One Direction issued a statement saying: “I adamantly deny striking Yolanda Hadid and for the sake of my daughter I decline to give any further details and I hope that Yolanda will reconsider her false allegations and move towards healing these family issues in private.”
In a separate statement on Twitter to his 31 million followers, without naming Yolanda he acknowledged there had been “harsh words shared” in an argument. He said that in order to protect a “safe and private space” for daughter Khai, he “agreed to not contest claims arising from an argument I had with a family member of my partner’s who entered our home while my partner was away several weeks ago … but it seems for now there is divisiveness … I am hopeful though for healing for all involved.”
Malik and Gigi Hadid’s on-off relationship began in 2015, with Khai born in September 2020. Gigi Hadid’s representative has released a statement, saying: “Gigi is solely focused on the best for Khai. She asks for privacy during this time.”
Reporting the statement, People magazine also quoted an unnamed family friend of the Hadids, who said the couple had split up. Neither Malik nor Hadid have commented on the claims of a split.
With 42 million followers on Instagram, Malik remains a high-profile celebrity, even if his music career has waned after the success of One Direction, who topped the US and UK charts with four out of five of their studio albums. Malik’s 2016 debut solo album was also a transatlantic No 1, though two further albums proved less commercially and critically successful.
Supermodel Gigi Hadid, sister to fellow models Bella and Anwar, has remained a mainstay on catwalks and magazine covers since her breakthrough in 2014. She has fronted campaigns for Valentino, Fendi, Moschino and many more.
• In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org
