One Direction devastated after Zayn Malik's exit, says Liam Payne

One Direction has spoken out for the first time after Zayn Malik quit the band in March 2015. Liam Payne says he and other members of the boyband found Malik's decision to leave really tough to cope with.

One Direction has spoken out for the first time after Zayn Malik quit the band in March 2015. Liam Payne says he and other members of the boyband found Malik's decision to leave really tough to cope with.

Zayn-Malik-is-an-English-singer-and-songwriter

The remaining members Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Payne discussed their friend's exit and talked about the group's future in an interview with The Sun newspaper, reports aceshowbiz.com.

"It's been a tough few weeks, probably the toughest since the band was formed five years ago. We're gutted that Zayn chose to leave," he said.

However, Payne revealed that they'd finally come to terms with Malik's departure after a few performances without him.

"But now after a few performances as a four-piece, we're feeling confident and are determined to carry on stronger than ever," he added.

Tomlinson said he and the other three members "are 100 percent committed to staying in One Direction" as they still had "much more" they wanted to achieve.