Malik won't rule out One Direction reunion as Louis becomes a dad

Bradford-born Malik quit One Direction in March last year, shortly before the band announced a “two year hiatus”, and is now set to release his first solo single, Pillow Talk.

When asked about the band’s “inevitable reunion” in an interview with the Sunday Times Culture magazine, he said: “Who knows?”

The 23-year-old added: “I don’t know. If the time was right and that was the thing to do, then I would make that decision when it came around.”

Having previously said he was not in contact with his former band mates, he hinted that he had now “got an email” from one of the boys - but “I don’t even wanna say names”.

Malik also revealed his hopes of continuing his education, which was cut short when he left sixth form halfway through to join the band in 2010.

He said: “You know what, to educate yourself isn’t that hard these days. You can do it at home. You can go to lectures - just sit there, which hopefully, at some point, I can do - like, just sit and listen to a lecture.”

The musician, who had originally planned to read English at university, said that going back to his studies would be “something that is only, solely for me”.

On his first album, due in March, he promised to “let people know what’s really going on”.

But he added: “I don’t want to make it black and white for people. I just want it to be creative, still, and artistic. Know what I mean?”

Meanwhile his former One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson has welcomed a baby boy with stylist Briana Jungwirth.

Announcing the birth of his first child, Tomlinson, 24 and from Doncaster, tweeted on Saturday: “I’m pleased to say my baby son was born yesterday. He is healthy and pretty amazing. I’m very happy.”

He briefly dated Los Angeles-based Jungwirth in May 2015 after he broke up with his long term girlfriend Eleanor Calder.

News of the pregnancy broke in August, although there has never been an official statement.