Hitmaker Nathan Sykes has praised One Direction for being "quite classy" in the way they've handled Zayn Malik's untimely departure and the progression of their career following that. 

Speaking to Heat radio, the heartthrob admitted that he was impressed with how they dealt with the change and he also thinks that anyone in a band should do what makes them happy, so he can't blame Zayn for leaving if that's what he really wanted to do:

"I think no one really knows what happens behind the scenes because I think every band has their own things that happen... I keep getting asked if I could give advice to Zayn, but I'm not one to give advice. He was in the biggest band on the planet! It's very admirable what they've done and the records they've broken... it really is incredible and it's great to see a British act doing it as well. But, you've got to be happy and if doing his own music makes him really happy, that's what he should be doing."

When asked if he would ever get into the studio with any of the One Direction lads, Sykes added: "You know what, they're all very talented and I've been really impressed with their writing... their writing is really, really good and there are some brilliant songs on their new album."

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Watch Sykes performing live on 'The X Factor' here: