Zayn Malik On His 'Really Good' Co-Parenting Relationship With Gigi Hadid

In a rare candid interview, Zayn Malik got real about becoming a father, co-parenting with ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid, and dealing with the fallout from his confrontation with Hadid’s mom, Yolanda.

Related article: This Is How Gigi Hadid Feels About Ex Zayn Malik Dating Selena Gomez

The former One Direction member made a guest appearance on the latest episode of Alex Cooper’s podcast, Call Her Daddy. During their hour-long conversation, Malik spoke about how he has worked to overcome his anxiety since welcoming his two-year-old daughter, Khai, whom he shares with Hadid.

“Since I’ve had my daughter and since she was born, the main thing in my mind is trying to be a good example to her. In terms of, I can do things and I can achieve things and I can overcome things—and you can do this, too,” he told Cooper. “To let things like a feeling stop you from doing that after having a child feels like a really small thing. I feel like I’ve had to step up as a man or just as a person. And be this example to her the doesn’t succumb to these feelings. That’s why I’m even doing this interview. I used to get a lot of anxiety around having a conversation like this, just in this kind of environment. And I want her to able to look at me and be like, ‘My dad’s doing this, he’s the man.’”

He added that dealing with fame has made him ultra protective of his daughter’s right to privacy.

“There’s just people always there waiting to take a photo,” Malik explained. “Obviously, thinking about having a child and raising her in that environment, it was just very claustrophobic for me. I didn’t want her to have to be exposed to that because she didn’t choose it. It was a choice that I made. So I was like, ‘We need to get out of here so that she can have some chance of a normal childhood.’”

The former couple are known to often spend time with Khai at Hadid’s family farm in Pennsylvania.

Related article: Gigi Hadid And Zayn Malik ‘Can’t Get Enough’ Of Their New Baby Girl

He also touched on his and Hadid’s 50-50 custody arrangement.

“I have her 50 percent of the time, so that time I have with her is so important because I feel like she’s growing up so fast. So, when I’m with her I don’t work at all,” he said, adding that he spends a “full day with [Khai]” doing any activity she wants to do, like painting, playing with Play-Doh, or heading out to a theme park or zoo.

“We just have fun. I feel like I’ve rekindled my own childhood through her,” the singer continued. “I feel like we get to a certain point in adult life where everything’s kind of vague and gray and boring, and she’s brought that color back for me for sure.”

Malik revealed that Khai has already shown a predisposition for music.

“She shows a lot of signs of musical intelligence already, so I just love playing instruments with her and singing with her. I’ll sing and she sings along and she can do good harmonies and stuff already—and she’s only two and a half,” he said. “She harmonizes with me well and finishes notes, can hold them for a long time. … She remembers full lyrics to songs as well, like every word. Smart.”

As for his co-parenting relationship with Hadid, Malik said, “Co-parenting is good. We have a really good relationship for Khai. She’s the main importance. It’s going well.”

Hadid and Malik dated on and off starting in 2015, before ultimately ending their relationship in 2021. Around the time of their breakup, the model’s mother, Yolanda Hadid, alleged that Malik had struck her during a verbal altercation. He denied the allegation in a statement posted to his social media. Later, Malik pleaded no contest to four counts of harassment and was placed on 90 days of probation for each count, totaling 360 days. He was also mandated to complete an anger management class and a domestic violence program.

In this latest interview, Malik spoke publicly about the incident with Yolanda for the first time. “I don’t tend to get involved when people say things online, whether it’s got something to do with me or whether it doesn’t. Because, for me, my most valuable thing that I have in life is time, and that takes so much time in a toxic environment to explain yourself to people and justify this, so I just kind of keep to myself,” he said. “I knew what the situation was, I knew what happened and the people involved knew what happened, too. And that’s all I really cared about.”

Related article: Gigi Hadid And Zayn Malik Have A “Loving And Caring” Relationship Post-Split

Malik added that he didn’t want to draw more attention to the situation. “I just wasn’t trying to get into a negative back-and-forth with her,” he explained. “Any sort of narrative online where my daughter was going to look back and read that and be able to read into it, and it would just be something that—there was no point. I believe I dealt with it in the best way. In an amicable, respectful way. And that’s all that needs to be sad. … If something happens in the family, I’d rather keep that between the family. You don’t need a whole audience of people and opinions, because it’s hard enough to manage between two.”

This article originally appeared in Harper’s BAZAAR US.