Former One Direction star turned solo artist Zayn Malik has revealed he suffered from a “serious” eating disorder while he was in the group.

The 23 year old British-born singer is publishing his autobiography, simply titled ‘ZAYN’, on Tuesday (November 1st), and a segment of it sees him reveal the extent to which the condition affected him, with periods of up to three days at a time during which he would not eat.

This was down to the band’s hectic schedule disrupting his eating patterns, and also because of Zayn’s desire to exercise control over his situation at the expense of his weight.

Zayn MalikZayn Malik has revealed he struggled with a serious eating disorder during the 1D years

“When I look back at images of myself from around November 2014, I can see how ill I was,” he writes in excerpts obtained by The Sun. “Something I’ve never talked about in public before, but which I have come to terms with since leaving the band, is that I was suffering from an eating disorder.

More: Azealia Banks now wants to work with Zayn Malik after issuing apology for social media abuse

“It wasn’t as though I had any concerns about my weight or anything like that, I’d just go for days – sometimes two or three days straight – without eating anything at all. It got quite serious, although at the time I didn’t recognise it for what it was.”

Zayn quit the group back in March 2015 after five years of virtually constant touring and recording in the wake of their ascent to fame in 2010’s edition of ‘The X Factor’. He said in his shock statement back then: “I have to do what feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22 year old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.”

He released his solo single and album at the start of 2016, but since then he has also revealed that he struggles with anxiety when it comes to live performances. This condition accounted for his recent cancellation of a huge gig in Dubai next month.

More: Zayn Malik was happy he could finally write about sex after leaving One Direction