Zayn Malik Reveals He Was 'Suffering From an Eating Disorder' While in One Direction

Zayn Malik doesn't hold back when it comes to his health.

The 23-year-old former One Direction star reveals in his new autobiography, Zayn, that he suffered from an eating disorder when he was a member of the boy band.

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“When I look back at images of myself from around November 2014, before the final tour, I can see how ill I was,” Malik writes.

“Something I’ve never talked about in public before, but which I have come to terms with since leaving the band, is that I was suffering from an eating disorder," he adds. "It wasn’t as though I had any concerns about my weight or anything like that. I’d just go for days -- sometimes two or three days straight -- without eating anything at all.”

“It got quite serious,” the singer states, noting that at the time he “didn’t recognize it for what it was.”

Reflecting on it, Malik, who left 1D in March 2015, says he thinks “it was about control.”

MORE: EXCLUSIVE: One Direction Gets Candid About Zayn Malik's Departure

“I didn’t have any control over anything else in my life, but food was something I could control, so I did," he shares.

Malik opened up about the revelation in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

"I realized that I wasn't eating as much just down to the amount of work that we were doing ... our schedule was kind of crazy so we were all over the place," he tells The AP.

"It was just more down to losing track of, you know, actually eating and being super busy and getting caught up with other things that 17 or 18-year-olds do, which normally entails them going out, drinking or partying, so it was a mixture of everything," he further explains.

He goes on to say he was never officially diagnosed with an eating disorder.

While his book was the first time the now-solo star discussed his struggles surrounding his eating, Malik has been open with his fans about his battle with anxiety.

"I flew into the UK last night to appear in my home country in front of my family, friends, and most importantly my UK fans. Unfortunately, my anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me…with the magnitude of the event, I have suffered the worst anxiety of my career,” he wrote via Twitter this past June after canceling a scheduled concert.

MORE: Zayn Malik Apologizes to Fans After Canceling Dubai Show Due to 'Extreme Anxiety'

“I cannot apologize enough but I want to be honest with everyone who has patiently waited to see me. I promise I will do my best to make this up to everybody I've let down today."

For more on Zayn and his book, which hit shelves Nov. 1, watch below:

Zayn Malik Says An Alien Told Him to Leave One Direction

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