Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik’s nearly-six-year on-off romance is off again, People reported last night, hours after reports surfaced alleging Zayn had a dispute with Gigi’s mom Yolanda, and Yolanda was claiming he “struck” her. (Zayn “adamantly” denied doing so in a statement to TMZ.) Sources spoke to Entertainment Tonight and The Sun in the hours after about why the breakup happened—and how big a factor the Yolanda incident was in its cause. Their statements come shortly before TMZ broke the news that Zayn pled no contest to four charges of harassment against Gigi and Yolanda.
People, which broke the news off of intel from multiple sources, had a brief comment from a Hadid family friend about Gigi and Zayn’s current relationship status: “They are not together right now. They are both good parents though. They co-parent. Yolanda is of course very protective of Gigi. She wants the best for her daughter and grandchild.”
Entertainment Tonight was told the breakup is new and happened after the Yolanda incident.
“Gigi and Zayn broke up after the incident with Yolanda,” a source said. “The two have been co-parenting but they are not together. They tried to make things work for their daughter, but it wasn’t working out.”
Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik in September 2016
Darren GerrishGetty Images
A source claimed to the outlet that Yolanda was a source of tension in their relationship, saying that “Yolanda was repeatedly showing up unannounced and uninvited and this led to some tension between them, which Zayn tried to resolve with his partner.”
“Zayn felt that Yolanda was getting in the middle of things,” a second source said, adding that the couple’s priority is co-parenting their one-year-old daughter Khai. They are “both very committed to working together to co-parent Khai and love her with all their hearts.”
The Sun was told by a source that Zayn’s issues with Yolanda are over a year old. “Tension really started between Yolanda and Zayn last year when he suspected she was the one who leaked their pregnancy news in the first place,” the source said. “Gigi and Zayn didn’t want to announce it publicly until after Gigi gave birth. With lockdown, it was the perfect time to give them that privacy they never would have had otherwise. They were so grateful for that privacy and they were very upset when it came out. Zayn is a very, very private person and while dating him, Gigi has become a lot more private too.”
That source claimed this breakup isn’t permanent. They split “with the intention of getting back together,” the source said. “They’ve broken up multiple times before so when it comes to them getting back together, never say never. But they definitely need time apart, it’s what’s best for everyone involved.”
A source told the outlet that Gigi, caught in the middle of her mom and on-off partner’s issues, ultimately made the call to end things. “That’s her mom and the father of her child so it’s a tough spot, she has loyalty to both,” the source said. “She’s doing her best but Khai is and will always be her #1 priority. Gigi’s tried and tried to mediate [Yolanda and Zayn’s] relationship but they just don’t see eye-to-eye. She realized it was healthier for her to not be with Zayn right now. It was ultimately her who ended the relationship.”
Entertainment Tonight was told similarly about Gigi’s tough position. “Yolanda is telling people around her that Zayn struck her,” a source said. “Yolanda is extremely upset and it has caused issues with Zayn and Gigi. Gigi was not there for the time of the incident, so she’s had to listen to both sides.”
A rep for Gigi released a brief statement following news of Zayn and Yolanda’s alleged dispute: “Gigi is solely focused on the best for Khai. She asks for privacy during this time.”
Alyssa Bailey
News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton).
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