Former One Direction member Zayn Malik looked back on his years-long relationship with model Gigi Hadid, offering insight into how he viewed their romance.

Despite no longer being a couple, they are successfully co-parenting their daughter, who remains their number one priority.

On February 11, Malik was a guest on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, where he talked about past relationships, dating, and being a father. While talking to host Alex Cooper, the 33-year-old singer said that he will always have love for Hadid.

“I will always love Gigi, because she’s the reason my child is on this Earth, and I have the utmost respect for her,” Malik said.

He also shared his realizations about their relationship, saying that while he loves her “a crazy amount,” he was never “in love” with her when they were together. “I don’t think I was in love with her at that point. Otherwise, I would have been a better version of myself,” he explained.

The “Pillowtalk” singer said that his understanding of love was always evolving, and during his time with Hadid, what he thought was love may have been lust. Looking back, he said, “I don’t feel like it was love.”

Malik and Hadid first sparked romance rumors when they were spotted together in November  2015. They announced their relationship a month later by posting a photo on social media.

In 2016, Hadid starred in Malik’s “Pillowtalk” music video, a sensual piece that has the couple sharing passionate moments interspersed with kaleidoscopic visuals.

In the next couple of years, the couple attended public events together, shared milestones on social media, and even graced the cover of Vogue magazine.

Between 2018 and 2019, the couple split and reunited a few times, and for a few months, Hadid was rumored to be dating Tyler Cameron from “The Bachelorette,” as reported by People.

Malik and Hadid rekindled their relationship in 2020, and they announced they were expecting a child that same year.

Hadid gave birth to their daughter, Khai, in September 2020. In October 2021, several news outlets reported that the couple had, once again, split.

According to TMZ, Hadid’s mother, Yolanda, alleged that Malik “struck” her and pushed her into a dresser, which the singer denied doing. Meanwhile, Hadid was reportedly in Paris during the incident.

Malik was charged with four counts of harassment as a result. Despite his denial, he pleaded no contest, a plea where the defendant does not admit guilt, but waives the right to a trial.

At that time, Malik said that he wanted to keep things private and safe for his daughter. “In an effort to protect that space for her, I agreed to not conest claims arising from an argument I had with a family member of my partner’s who entered our home while my partner was away several weeks ago,” he explained.

In the same podcast interview, Malik shared a glimpse of his co-parenting relationship with his ex, saying that although they have different parenting styles, they get along pretty well.

Malik recalled the time Khai lost her tooth, and when he gave her $700 from the tooth fairy, Hadid gave him “sh-t” for the extravagant amount. He said next time he would only give his daughter $5, but added “At the end of the day I work my a-s off and I should be able to give my kid what I want to give her.”