In happier times, Zayn and Gigi welcomed their first child, daughter Khai, in September 2020. Below, Billboard has compiled a complete timeline of Gigi Hadid and Zayn’s relationship.
November 2015: Rumors first begin to swirl that the two are dating
Shortly after the supermodel split from Joe Jonas, Gigi and Zayn were spotted leaving Justin Bieber’s American Music Awards after-party holding hands. Us Weekly reported that they weren’t “boyfriend and girlfriend” yet, but they were into each other.
January 2016: Gigi wears “Z” necklace, but Zayn denies dating rumors
The Twittersphere exploded when Gigi wore a “Z” necklace on her way to Paris Fashion Week with Zayn as her phone background. However, the former One Direction member dropped by Apple’s Beats 1 radio show, and insisted that the two were “good friends.”
January 2016: Gigi stars in the “Pillowtalk” music video
Zayn’s debut single as a solo artist featured none other than the supermodel in the accompanying steamy visual. The two then exchanged very flirty messages on Twitter, making it difficult to believe the two hadn’t moved past the friend zone.
April 2016: The couple’s first Vogue spread
Zigi did their first couple photo shoot together in romantic Naples, along with a sweet behind-the-scenes video oozing with young love.
May 2016: Zigi attends the Met Gala together
The two donned complementary robotic outfits for the “Manus x Machina” theme.
June 2016: Rumors and reports that Hadid and Malik broke up
Gigi slammed the negativity in an interview with Elle magazine. Additionally, she shared an adorable photo of the couple’s his-and-hers Nutella jars on Instagram.
September 2016: London Fashion Week
The duo donned matching black outfits while sitting front row at the Versus Versace show during London Fashion Week, supporting Hadid’s younger sister Bella who opened the collection.
November 2016: Zayn finally explains how he met Gigi
He told ES Magazine the two met at a Victoria’s Secret party. He recognized her “from her picture” and soon took her on a date at a restaurant called Gemma in NYC. “She’s a very intelligent woman,” he gushed. “She knows how to carry herself. She’s quite classy and that. She’s not, like, arrogant in any way. She’s confident. She carries it well. She’s cool.”
February 2017: Gigi posts an adorable Valentine’s Day selfie
Spring 2017: Gigi photographed Zayn for the Spring 2017 Versus Versace campaign
The fashion label posted a Twitter video in which Zayn is talking to an off-screen Hadid. She asks, “When you’re alone, who do you want next to you?” to which Malik smiles and replies, “You.”
September 2017: Vacation with Yolanda Hadid
Gigi’s mom took to Instagram to share a photo of the couple hugging. “Summer Loving……. #Family,” she wrote.
October 2017: Zigi wears coordinating Spider-Man Halloween costumes
‘Nuff said.
January 2018: Gigi Hadid posts birthday wishes for Zayn (and a Gigi-inspired tattoo?)
“Love this man more than I could ever put into words [and] am inspired by his drive to be and do better everyday 
Cheers to YOUR YEAR my @zayn – Happiest happiest birthday & 25th year of life!! I’m proud to be by your side x,” the model captioned her posts. Fans were also quick to notice a tattoo of eyes that look strikingly like Gigi’s on Zayn’s chest.
March 2018: They break up
Zayn posted a note on Twitter confirming the split. Hadid later confirms this on social media as well. “I have a huge amount of respect and adoration for Gigi as a woman and a friend,” the singer wrote.
April 2018: They are spotted back together
TMZ published photos of the exes kissing in New York City, giving Zigi fans hope that they’ve buried the hatchet.
April 2018: Zayn is not at Gigi’s birthday party
Gigi’s “Golden Year”-themed 23rd birthday party featured major celebrities, models and a huge cake. But Zayn was nowhere to be seen.
October 2018: Gigi calls Zayn her “happy place”
The two made frequent appearances on each other’s Instagram stories, but a (since-deleted) post by the supermodel garnered a collective “Aw” from her 45 million followers. “flyin home to my happy place,” she wrote alongside the sweet selfie.
January 2019: Breakup rumors
Us Weekly said the split was caused by a mix of Gigi isolating herself from her friends when Zayn is around, and the crooner overcoming issues the model couldn’t help him with.
February 2020: Back together
The break didn’t last long. After months of rekindled romance speculation and paparazzi photos of the two hanging out together, the supermodel confirmed her relationship with the crooner with an adorable V-Day post. Hadid shared a photo on Feb. 14 of Malik on her disposable camera Instagram account, @gisposable. “HEY VALENTINE,” she wrote. “Z on the farm Dec 2019.”
April 2020: Baby on the way
“Obviously, we wish we could have announced it on our own terms,” Hadid told Jimmy Fallon. “We’re very excited and happy and grateful for everyone’s well wishes and support.”
When Fallon advised her to “be present” and enjoy her pregnancy, Hadid responded, “Especially during this time, it’s a nice silver lining to be home and be together, and really experience it day-by-day.”
July 2020: The couple shares a sweet smooch
Hadid took to social media to post a pic of her and Zayn sharing a kiss. “Baby daddy,” she captioned the PDA pic.
August 26, 2020 – Gigi shares pregnancy photo shoot
“Cherishing this time. appreciate all the love & well wishes,” she wrote alongside a series of images on Instagram, thanking her team and photographers Luigi and Iango for helping her pull off the artful black and white pictures shot on July 26.
See the photos here, here and here.
September 2020 – Baby Zigi is here
The former One Direction singer shared a post on social media. “Our baby girl is here, healthy & beautiful,” he wrote. “To try put into words how I am feeling right now would be an impossible task. The love I feel for this tiny human is beyond my understanding. Grateful to know her, proud to call her mine, & thankful for the life we will have together.”
Gigi also wrote, “Our girl joined us earth-side this weekend and she’s already changed our world. So in love.”
September 26, 2020 – Baby gets sweet gifts from famous “aunties”
Hadid shared a photo of her newborn daughter to her Instagram Story, lying in bed in a white shirt featuring the Versace logo, with a pink blanket covering her.
“From auntie @donatella_versace,” she tagged the shirt, then added over the blanket, “& auntie @taylorswift made this !!” See here.
October 28, 2021 – Zayn responds to TMZ report that he “struck” Yolanda Hadid
After TMZ reported that Yolanda Hadid accused Zayn — the father of Yolanda’s 1-year-old granddaughter — “struck” her during a dispute, the former One Direction singer responded to the accusation on Twitter.
October 29, 2021 – Police report reveals details of Zayn’s September dispute with Yolanda & Gigi
Zayn pleaded no contest to four charges of harassment against Gigi and her mother, Yolanda, in the wake of a Sept. 29 argument in which the singer is alleged to have grabbed and shoved the elder Hadid. The details were contained in a police report obtained by Billboard from the Solesbury, Pennsylvania Police Department, which details Malik being charged with four counts of harassment. According to court documents, Malik pleaded nolo contendere — or “no contest” — on Oct. 27 to the charges, which is the equivalent of a guilty plea that does not admit guilt. As a result, Malik agreed to serve 360 days of probation as well as complete anger management and domestic violence programs.
People is the first to report that Zayn and Gigi broke up following the dispute.
