BREAKING: Shock as five become four for One Direction

Five have become four for One Direction with the news that band member Zayn Malik has reportedly quit their world tour.

The band are currently on the Asian leg of the tour with upcoming performances lined up in Manila and Jakarta.

According to The Sun, an official statement released by the band reads: "Zayn has signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate. The band wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta."

It's not known whether Zayn's choice to fly home to England is due to an ultimatum from his fiancée, Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards,

Earlier this week Zayn found himself in hot water when pictures were published of him with his arm around another woman as the band partied in Phuket, Thailand.

Zayn publicly apologised to Perrie on Twitter last night:

I'm 22 years old… I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous fucks in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like x

— zaynmalik1D (@zaynmalik) March 18, 2015

Now it looks like he's off to do it in person!