AceShowbiz -

Nearly two months after Zayn Malik decided to leave One Direction, his bandmate Liam Payne revealed the real reason behind his exit from the band. In an interview with Capital FM's Breakfast Show on Wednesday morning, May 20, Liam confirmed weeks of speculation that Zayn left the group to spend time with his fiancee, Perrie Edwards.

"Sometimes you have to move on because you're not enjoying what you're doing as much as you used to," Liam told host Lisa Snowdon. "He wanted to spend time with his family and his missus. That's cool with us."

Zayn publicly announced his departure from One Direction in a joint statement alongside the other band members posted on Facebook in late March. "I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight," he explained his decision to leave the band. "I know I have four friends for life in Louis (Tomlinson), Liam, Harry (Styles) and Niall (Horan). I know they will continue to be the best band in the world." And despite rumors to the contrary, Zayn insisted Perrie had been very supportive of his decision to leave One Direction and their relationship was stronger than ever as they reportedly were spotted house hunting and planning to wed "as early as this spring."