Friday, March 27, 2015 3:37am ET by  
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Zayn Malik breaks silence after quitting 1D: 'I couldn't do it anymore'

Zayn Malik has given his first interview since leaving One Direction.

The singer told The Sun that he couldn’t take being in the global limelight anymore.

The Brit, who quit the group earlier this week in order to live a more normal life, added that he now feels “in control”.

Malik said: "I feel like I've let the fans down but I can't do this anymore. It is crazy and wild and a bit mad but, at the same time, I've never felt more in control in my life.

"And I feel like I'm doing what's right - right by myself and right by the boys, so I feel good."

The music man added that he had been feeling the strain for a little while:

"You know, I did try to do something that I wasn't happy doing for a while, for the sake of maybe other people's happiness. And that was mainly the fans. And I only ever tried to do it for the fans, and it was only ever for them.

"I'm only upset [because] I feel like I may have let them down in some sort of way. It's not that I've turned my back on them or anything, it's just that I just can't do that anymore because it's not real to me."

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Watch One Direction perform live without Malik below: