Zayn Malik's rare confession about daughter and how becoming a dad changed him

In his first media interview in six years on Call Ger Daddy’s podcast, Zayn Malik opened up about fatherhood and how welcoming his daughter Khai with ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid gave him a different perspective in life.

The Pillow Talk musician and former One Direction star got candid about one of the most important roles in his life – being a father. The Brit and model Gigi Hadid were in an on-and-off relationship for almost five years and welcomed a daughter together, named Khai. The couple broke up in 2021 and Zayn Malik has shared a rare insight into his fatherhood journey in his first interview in six years.

Zayn Malik opens up about fatherhood and daughter Khai

Zayn Malik has given his first public interview on Call Her Daddy’s podcast with Alex Cooper and a snippet from the conversation made rounds on Twitter and Instagram.

In a teaser shared on Call Her Daddy’s Instagram page on Tuesday, the One Direction alum opened up about fatherhood and revealed that he’s set a goal for himself to be a “good example” for his daughter Khai.

“Since I’ve had my daughter, the main thing in my mind is trying to be a good example to her,” Zayn told Alex. “That’s why I’m even doing this interview, you know? I used to get a lot of anxiety around having a conversation like this. And I want her to be able to look at me and be like, ‘Yo, my dad’s doing this’.”

Zayn transformed into a typical dad figure

Elsewhere in the interview, the former One Direction star admitted that he transformed into a particular father figure, telling dad jokes and he’s totally okay with the label about him.

“I keep being told I’m telling dad jokes,” Zayn continued. “And I’m leaning into it. I’m just like, ‘It’s OK. It’s cool.’ People just look at me like I’m a weirdo, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m a dad, I’m allowed to tell these jokes now.’”

Zayn also revealed that his daughter, who will turn three years old in September, brought the “color” back into his life after a “gray and boring” stage.

“There’s a certain point in adult life where everything is vague and gray and boring and she’s brought that color back for me for sure,” he admitted.

The full interview will be available on Call Her Daddy’s Spotify page on Wednesday (July 12, 2023), and new episodes of the podcast drop every Wednesday.

Brief Zayn and Gigi’s relationship timeline

Between 2015 and 2021, Zayn and Gigi were one of Hollywood‘s most favorite couples after their romance reportedly blossomed in November 2015.

The Brit and model announced their relationship with a since-deleted loved-up snap on Instagram in December 2015 and Gigi teased their romance with an Instagram image of Zayn’s tattoos in January 2016.

Zayn and Gigi reportedly weren’t a couple in 2019 but they rekindled their relationship not long after that, welcoming daughter Khai in 2020. The couple called it quits a year later after an alleged dispute with Gigi’s mother and former model Yolanda Hadid.