Australian radio presenter Jackie 'O' Henderson has recalled her awkward encounter with Zayn Malik at the height of his boyband fame, amid reports of an ongoing dispute between the singer and his former mother-in-law Yolanda Hadid.
Jackie, 46, said on Tuesday's Kyle and Jackie O Show that she and co-host Kyle Sandilands had noticed Zayn's gloomy demeanour after interviewing One Direction in Australia several years ago.
While Jackie described band member Harry Styles as 'lovely', she could not say the same for Zayn.
'The difference between Harry Styles and Zayn Malik couldn't have been further apart that night,' she recounted.
Before interviewing the band, Jackie had stepped outside to smoke a cigarette.
Zayn was also outside smoking, surrounded by adoring fans who were waiting on the other side of a fence to capture a glimpse of their favourite star.
'This is uncomfortable': Australian radio star Jackie 'O' Henderson, 46, (left) has recalled her awkward encounter with Zayn Malik, 28, (right) at the height of his boy band fame, amid reports of a dispute between the star and his ex mother-in-law Yolanda Hadid.
'They were all screaming his name, and 'We love you Zayn we love you Zayn... [but] he was just smoking and staring straight at them with this really p***ed off look on his face, and he didn't smile once,' Jackie claimed.
'I was standing there the whole time thinking, 'Aren't you just going to just, like, at least wave? This is uncomfortable that you're just staring at them like that',' she added.
Kyle described Zayn as bringing a 'dark vibe', while Jackie speculated that the singer may have been struggling with his mental health at the time.
'I think he's depressed or something': Jackie shared her experience on Tuesday's Kyle And Jackie O Show, telling listeners that she and her co-host Kyle Sandilands, 50, had noticed Zayn's gloomy demeanour after interviewing One Direction in Australia several years ago
'I thought back then - and this was early One Direction days - I thought, 'Oh he's obviously got... I think he's depressed or something. Something's going on there',' she said.
'No one would respond like that unless you really did feel like that,' she said.
'And you feel for someone like that because if he genuinely has a mental health issue - which I don't know much about to be Zayn Malik to be honest - that's probably why he left [the band] and went out on his own. He couldn't deal with it.'
'Aren't you just going to just, like, at least wave?' Jackie (left) said Zayn (right) was outside smoking before the interview, but refused to smile or wave at a crowd of adoring fans who were screaming his name
It comes days after it was said that Zayn was 'deeply concerned' about his family's future after the dispute while he reportedly plans to 'fight' to avoid a custody battle over Khai.
An LA business associate of Zayn's told The Mirror: 'Gigi and he co-parent Khai, but any suggestion he has aggression issues or cannot be trusted to care for her, is something he will fight against with every ounce of his body.'
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