Zayn Malik exits One Direction tour amid cheating rumors

LONDON, March 19 (UPI) -- Zayn Malik has exited One Direction's On the Road Again tour.

A band representative told Billboard the 22-year-old singer will return to the U.K. to deal with stress. One Direction is currently on tour in Asia, and Malik is expected to rejoin the group next week in Africa.

"Zayn has been signed off with stress and is flying back to the U.K. to recuperate," the rep revealed. "The bank wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta."

The news comes amid rumors Malik cheated on fiancée Perrie Edwards this week in Phuket. The singer was photographed cozying up to a mystery woman after a concert, but dismissed infidelity reports on Twitter.

"I'm 22 years old... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards," he tweeted Wednesday. "And there's a lot of jealous [expletive]s in this world I'm sorry for what for what it looks like x." The post was favorited over 393,000 times.

Malik and Edwards have been together since 2011, and got engaged in August 2013. The singer formed One Direction with Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson in 2010, and last released Four with the band in November 2014.