We’ve all been there; almost everyone you know who has ever used a dating app has a horror story of being catfished. Catfishing sees a person creating a fake profile on a dating site or social media platform using someone else’s pictures to pretend to be someone they’re not.

But the former One Direction star was allegedly accused of catfishing after using his actual pictures on the well-known dating app.

In an interview with Nylon Magazine, Malik – who ended his on-again-off-again relationship with Gigi Hadid for good in October 2021 – admitted that he hasn’t had much luck finding love online.

“It’s not been too successful for me, I’ll be honest,” he told the outlet. “Everyone accused me of catfishing. They’re like, ‘What are you using Zayn Malik’s pictures for?’ I’ve been kicked off once or twice.”

PinkNews has contacted a representative of Tinder for a comment on the matter.

All is not lost for the star – who is set to release his new album Room Under The Stairs later this month. Malik has no plans to meet anyone new online, or otherwise. “I’m really content and happy with being single for the first time in my life,” he said.

The “Tu Hai Kahan” singer also spoke about his track record with fellow X-Factor star and Little Mix member Perrie Edwards, whom he started dating early in One Direction’s career.

“I didn’t know anything about anything at that point,” he admitted. “I thought I did because I was 21. I was legally allowed to do everything, but I didn’t know s**t.”

Malik and Edwards ended their relationship in 2015, and later that year, he started dating Hadid. “From 21 to 27, I was with Gi, and we had a kid, and I didn’t really take much time to get to know myself,” he told the publication.