ONE DIRECTION-ONE AND ONLY

ZAYN

Yaser and Tricia Malik were thrilled with the arrival of little Zain Javadd on 12 January 1993.

He grew up with three little sisters in Bradford, where he attented Tong High School, and turned out to be rather a handful. 'I was quite hyperactive.' he recalled. 'I'd be bouncing off the walls and jumping from one room to the next. Even in the hoise, my mum used to put me in my pram because I was so full-on.'

But Zayn was a bright kid and by the age of eight he had a reading age of 18, as well as a talent for art and drama. He joined the school choir and was cast in productions of Grease, Arabian Nights and Bugsy Malone.

Although he says he still feels like that kid from Bradford, Zayn is now recognized everywhere he goes and finds that difficult to deal with. 'I worry about being seen as a bad person.' he admits. 'Everyone makes mistakes, but when you're famous it's plastered everywhere. I want to be open, but I'm still learning about how open I can be and who I can trust totally.'

THE GIRLS

Zayn credits the female influence of his three sisters Doniya, Waliyha and Safaa for making him good with girls: 'I was much more sensitive when I was growing up because I was around women all the time. I also think as a result I understand women more than average man does, to be honest.'

After his first kiss at the age of 12, Zayn had his first real girlfriend when he was 15 and they were together for nine months. Since then, he claims, he's only had 'two or three proper girlfriends.'

Zayn dated fellow X Factor contestant Rebecca Ferguson during their stint on the competition, causing controversy due to six-year age difference, but the romance fizzled out after just four months. He was also linked to singer Cher Lloyd, Belle Amie's Geneva Lane and most recently, he has been dating Little Mix star Perrie Edwards, although initially denied their budding romance. 'I wouldn't say I've got specific type looks-wise when it comes to girls,' he says. 'I want to be someone who I feel comfortable around and I can spoil a bit; someone I can get on with. I've become a lot less shallow as I've got older and personality is very important to me now.'

THE REBEL

The only member of the band who smokes, Zayn also has ten tattoos including a Yin Yang Tai-Chi symbol on his wrist, the word 'ZAP!' on his forearm, his grandfather's name 'Walter' in Arabic on his chest, a 'born lucky' symbol on his stomach, a silver fern on his neck and an inscription across his collarbone that says 'be true to who you are' in Arabic.

Although he is close to other lads, Zayn admits that from time to time, he get's frustrated with their pranks and untidiness: 'Having time alone is how I keep myself sane,' he says. And while he appears to have the world at his feet, Zayn suffers such bad stage fright that at one point during The X Fcator he refused to go on stage to dance. In fact, Simon Cowell had to personally beg him to join the others as they learnt a basic routine. Zayn says: 'My confidence has improved so much since Boot Camp and I can have much more laugh with boys about it all.'

In January 2012 he vowed to kick his cigarette habit, saying 'My New Year's resoulution is definitely quit smoking. I need to do it.'

Although numerous Facebook paged were created to encourage the singer to quit, they have, so far, been in vain.