BRADFORD'S pop superstar Zayn Malik has revealed he had an eating disorder while in boyband One Direction.

The singer made the revelation in his first official book, Zayn, which has been released today.

He says while he did not want to lose weight, food was "something I could control" and looking back at pictures from 2014 had made him realise "how ill" he was.

He said: "I'd just go for days - sometimes two or three days straight - without eating anything at all.

"It got quite serious, although at the time I didn't recognise it for what it was."

The 23-year-old quit One Direction in March last year, having missed out on a number of appearances with the rest of the band due to stress.

Since then he has launched his own solo career, releasing his first album Mind of Mine in March.

In his book, he also discusses his ongoing battle with anxiety, which has caused him to pull out of solo performances.