Perrie Edwards is opening up about one of the most difficult chapters of her life—her relationship and eventual split from Zayn Malik. The Little Mix singer recently reflected on the emotional toll of their highly publicized romance during an appearance on Paul C Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast. While she avoided naming her ex directly, her words left little doubt about who she was referring to.
Edwards and Malik first got together in 2012, when both were riding the wave of global fame after their respective groups, Little Mix and One Direction, were launched from The X Factor. Their young love quickly became the subject of media fascination, culminating in an engagement. But after three years together, the pair split in 2015 amid reports that Malik had ended things via text message—a detail that fueled massive online chatter at the time.
Looking back now, Edwards admitted that her perspective as someone experiencing her first love blinded her to red flags. “I think definitely at the time I thought everything we experienced in our relationship was normal. Because it was my first relationship, first love,” she explained. She recalled convincing herself that feeling “a little bit toxic” was just part of how relationships worked, until the breakup forced her to re-evaluate what she truly wanted and deserved.
The aftermath of the split was especially painful. Edwards said the heartbreak was so intense it made her consider swearing off relationships altogether. “I was almost thinking like I never, ever want to go through that again. I didn’t even want to meet anybody. I was like, that’s me done. I don’t think I could bear that pain. Like the pain of heartbreak is so grim that I remember thinking I’m done with men forever.”
She also acknowledged how the media frenzy surrounding her personal life spilled into her professional one. “At the time, it must have been frustrating for the other girls, getting asked about it all the time,” she said, noting how Malik’s shadow often loomed over Little Mix interviews and appearances.
For Edwards, the experience was both formative and scarring—her first brush with love, heartbreak, and the scrutiny of fame all wrapped into one. It’s a chapter that shaped her outlook on relationships, but one she has since moved beyond as she continues to focus on her music career and personal growth.