'X Factor UK' Judge Louis Walsh Thinks Zayn Malik's Decision Was Influenced by Fiance Perrie Edwards

One of the guys who more or less helped discover Zayn Malik is now speaking out about his departure from One Direction.

X Factor UK judge Louis Walsh opened up about the 22-year-old singer’s decision and how it likely had something to do with fiancee Perrie Edwards.

“What I found in the past is as things get on, and as they get girlfriends, the girlfriends are whispering things in their ears and saying like, ‘You should be a solo star,’ ‘You should be the lead singer.’ That’s usually the problem,” Louis told Ireland’s RTE Radio One (via E! News).

When asked if he thinks Perrie is the new Yoko Ono, he said, “Yeah, it happens in every band. Happens in every band in the whole world. But they’ve had an amazing five years.”

You can watch Zayn‘s original audition with Louis below!

Click inside to read the rest of Louis Walsh‘s comments…

“I’ve heard the rumors for the last few weeks that everyone wasn’t happy in paradise,” Louis said. “The problem with these guys is they’ve been in a bubble for the last five years, pressure, working, a lot harder than people think, so something had to give. So Zayn was the first person just to crack up a little bit.”

He added, “He’s made a lot of money. He’s seen the world. He’s had an amazing time with the other guys. That’s the good side of it. The dark side of it is all the traveling, the airports, in a bubble, not really seeing real life…They burn out basically. The thing with One Direction is they were massive worldwide. They were going from continent to continent, right across America. Hotels…he probably didn’t see light of day, he was just working, working, working.”