2020 could be the year Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik reconcile…again. After becoming an item at the end of 2015, the musician and model can’t seem to stay too far out of the other’s lives. After two breakups, music video appearances, and Instagram PDA, rumors that the couple is back together were sparked once more at the end of December.
Hadid posted an Instagram Story with Malik’s mom Trisha Malik tagged in it, fans started speculating Zigi could be quietly back on. Below, relive their entire romantic history.
November 2015: Hadid and Malik are first linked toward the end of 2015. Us Weekly reported that the pair is seeing each other after ending their previous relationships. Hadid split from Joe Jonas after four months in early November, while Malik broke off his engagement to Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards in August.
“It’s a very new thing. They’re just seeing where it goes,” a source tells the outlet. “I wouldn’t call them boyfriend and girlfriend,” a second source adds. “But seeing each other? Definitely. He’s chuffed.”
The outlet also publishes photos of the duo leaving Justin Bieber’s American Music Awards after party in the same car. Days later, they are spotted holding hands while exiting a restaurant in Los Angeles. An onlooker tells E! of the outing, “Gigi and Zayn couldn’t keep their hands off each other.”
December 2015: The following month, Malik shares a black-and-white Polaroid of the couple cuddling closely on Instagram. Although there was no caption, the since-deleted photo basically confirms they were an item.
January 2016: On January 2, Hadid shares her own black-and-white shot of Malik. In it, he’s holding her kitten Cleo while shirtless.
About 10 days later, Hadid declares “ZDAY 💛” while sharing a photo of herself wearing a “Z” gold chain necklace.
In an interview with Apple’s Beats 1 radio show, Malik dodges questions about his relationship. When asked about Hadid, he responds, “We’re good friends, yeah.”
However, when Hadid is seen in a Paris airport with Malik as her phone’s lock screen, most people assume they’re officially more than pals.
The month ends with the ultimate couple confirmation: Hadid appearing in Malik’s “PILLOWTALK” music video, his first as a solo artist.
A video surfaces of Hadid singing along to the single in the car. Malik and Hadid also send some flirty tweets to each other about the steamy video.
February 2016: On the heels of the musical PDA, Malik confirms the relationship during an interview with Zach Sang & The Gang. The following month, paparazzi captures the pair leaving her East Village apartment.
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On Valentine’s Day, Hadid shares another black-and-white photo of Malik with her cat. She captions it simply, “💘.”
April 2016: This month, the couple appears in their first photo shoot for Vogue. In it, they show off a ton of PDA while in Naples, Italy.
Hadid’s ex Jonas weighs in on the couple that month. When asked about the relationship, per the Daily Mirror, Jonas says, “I think it’s interesting that she moved on so quickly. I mean, it was definitely very quick.” He also claims that people had been comparing him to Malik “for years.”
May 2016: For the “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” Met Gala, the couple walks the red carpet together for the first time. Malik opts for Versace, while Hadid wears Tommy Hilfiger.
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Hadid captions a photo of the pair later in the month, “missing you ❤️.”
Further proof the duo was together comes when Hadid wears a statement shirt that read, “lol you’re not zayn malik,” to Drake’s SNL after party.
June 2016: Although there are rumors about the couple splitting, Hadid confirms the pair is very much on during an interview with ELLE.com. When asked whether she prefers a night out or night in, she replies: “Night in. Cook. Paint. Play with my dog. Hang out with my boyfriend. Watch movies. Just chill.”
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E! News reports that the couple ended their relationship after seven months together. A source tells the outlet, “During her birthday they were fighting,” adding that the pair had “broken up and got back together a few times.”
A second source says that while the pair did break up, “they can likely get back together tomorrow. It’s all very unclear what’s going on between them now. They [have] been having some issues lately that involved communication and getting along.” The source continues, “Gigi is really sad about this, though, and in a way would like to work it out. It’s more about that constant contact with Zayn that she misses and they did get very close.”
However, three days later Hadid is spotted in West Hollywood wearing her “Z” necklace, signaling their relationship is likely back on.
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July 2016: Fans’ suspicions Zigi is still together are confirmed when Hadid posts a selfie of the couple cuddling to Instagram.
September 2016: By September, the couple is back in full force, holding hands in Manhattan.
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That same month, Hadid and Malik sit front row at the Versus Verace show during London Fashion Week.
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They’re also seen hanging with Taylor Swift, Malik’s “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” collaborator and ex-girlfriend of One Direction member Harry Styles.
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Plus, Hadid shares a photo of the two seemingly on vacation, captioned with three palm tree emojis.
October 2016: The following month, the couple head to Paris Fashion Week for the Givenchy show.
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November 2016: About a year after the couple is first linked, Malik opens up to ES Magazine about how he and Hadid met. They met in early November 2015 at a Victoria’s Secret party. He reportedly recognized her “from her picture” and asked her out. Their first date went down at The Bowery Hotel’s restaurant Gemma in New York City. “She’s a very intelligent woman,” he tells the outlet. “She knows how to carry herself. She’s quite classy and that. She’s not, like, arrogant in any way. She’s confident. She carries it well. She’s cool.”
Other tidbits from the interview? He likes to cook Yorkshire pudding for Hadid, they’ve met each other’s families, and while they “haven’t officially swapped keys or anything yet, we live together wherever we are.”
December 2016: Malik reflects on asking Hadid out—and collaborating with her pal, Taylor Swift—in an interview with SiriusXM Hits1.
January 2017: In an interview with British Vogue, Hadid is asked about her typical date night in with Malik. “We like late-night movies and we order from this amazing place that does lattes and gingerbread cookies,” she explains. “I need coffee to stay up. I’m always like, ‘Babe, let’s go to a movie.’ Then I fall asleep halfway through and he’s like, ‘You’ve seen the first half of every movie out there and you have no idea how any of them end.’”
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For Malik’s birthday, Hadid shares a black-and-white photo of him captioned, “happy birthday my handsome! so lucky to know and love a soul like yours ☄wishing you the best year ever!!!”
February 2017: “everyday 💘,” Hadid captions a sweet selfie of the pair for Valentine’s Day.
March 2017: When Malik wins the Best Music Video award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, he and Hadid appear in a video together to accept the award.
The couple continues providing small insight into their relationship. During an interview with Sunday Times Style, Malik talks about the pair’s pet names for each other. “I call her Gee, she calls me Zee. There’s some other nicknames too, but I’ll keep those private,” he says.
Malik also posed alongside Hadid for the Versus Versace show, which she captures on Instagram.
The following month, Hadid posts a photo of the pair alongside a cake for her 22nd birthday.
July 2017: In a major relationship move, the couple appears on the August 2017 cover of Vogue. However, controversy arises about the theme of the photoshoot and story in question, as Zayn and Gigi are branded “part of a new generation embracing gender fluidity.” Neither one publicly identifies as gender fluid.
Vogue released a statement shortly after, addressing the concerns:
The story was intended to highlight the impact the gender-fluid, non-binary communities have had on fashion and culture. We are very sorry the story did not correctly reflect that spirit – we missed the mark. We do look forward to continuing the conversation with greater sensitivity.
September 2017: Gigi’s mother Yolanda shares a photo of the young couple embracing on Instagram captioned, “❤️Summer Loving……. #Family.”
Further proof comes out that the couple’s families are intertwined when they spend the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha with each other’s moms.
October 2017: The couple shows off their Halloween costumes on Instagram. Malik dressed as Spider Man while Hadid went as the Black Cat from the comics series.
January 2018: The stylish couple kicks off the year by stepping out in matching sunglasses and monochromatic black ensembles in NYC.
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Hadid also wishes Malik a happy birthday captioning a series of photos and videos of the pair, “love this man more than I could ever put into words, & am inspired by his drive to be and do better everyday ✨ cheers to YOUR YEAR my @zayn – happiest happiest birthday & 25th year of life !! I’m proud to be by your side x.”
March 2018: By March, the ZiGi officially calls it quits, with each sharing statements about the breakup on Twitter.
The Sun says the couple had simply “grown apart,” with a source adding, “They have crazy work schedules that would put pressure on any relationship.”
April 2018: The couple of more than two years was spotted by TMZ kissing in the streets of New York, sparking reconciliation rumors.
May 2018: But before you could call it a comeback, a source told E! that the two parties may be on different pages. “Zayn really wants to be with [Gigi] and has made it clear,” a source tells the outlet. “He misses her and can’t stand being apart.” However, the insider says, “Gigi’s a little bit more hesitant.”
Reportedly, the pair “broke up because it wasn’t working and nothing has really changed.”
June 2018: Once again, sartorial choices signal a reconciliation. On June 28, Malik is seen in NYC wearing eyewear from Hadid’s Vogue Eyewear capsule, according to Vogue.
For the singer’s GQ cover, he resists labeling their relationship status. “I’m really thankful that I met her…We’re adults,” he begins. “We don’t need to put a label on it, make it something for people’s expectations. I had a very negative outlook on things [while recording my first solo album]. That might have been adolescence or testosterone or whatever the f*ck was running through my body at the time. She’s helped me to look at things from a positive angle,” he continues.
July 2018: Next, Hadid defends her relationship with Malik, responding to an Instagram post she was tagged in that claimed their romance was fake. She posts a lengthy comment, which begins, “Seems like u guys tag me in a new post every day … pls stop.. it’s just negative, I really have no hard feelings towards you I just know what a beautiful world there is to go out and live in instead of trying to dissect a relationship between two people that you don’t even know and that you do not see 99% of… for someone who is virtually inactive on the app, I don’t need his follow- my eyes are tattooed to his chest.”
August 2018: Then, a report from The Daily Star, via The Sun, claims that Malik is eyeing a proposal “to prove his love,” per a source. “He’s head over heels in love and wants to prove to the world he’s committed and their relationship is the real deal.” Reportedly Malik “has suggested a secret wedding with no guests.”
But the insider says talks of that kind of commitment halted after Hadid “made it clear they are not ready to get engaged just yet.”
September 2018: Malik shares a photo of Yolanda Hadid holding his GQ cover on Instagram.
January 2019: By the start of the year, multiple outlets are reporting the couple had broken up. On January 3, E!, Entertainment Tonight, and Us Weekly all had sources weigh in on the news.
“Gigi and Zayn have broken up, but not because they don’t love one another,” ET‘s source explains. “After trying for a long time, the couple just couldn’t make it work. Zayn has been dealing with personal things for a while and Gigi has become a comfort blanket for him.”
“They could get back together, but it’s over for now,” Us‘s source says. Malik had “a lot of his own issues that she couldn’t help him get through.” A second source claims, “She focused all her time and energy on him, but it just got to be too much.”
Meanwhile, E! reports that the couple had been “on a break” for two months. A source says the two “have been spending time apart since early November. [They] think it’s best for the sake of their relationship right now.” But there didn’t seem to be drama, as Hadid continued to follow Malik on Instagram, liking recent social media posts at the time.
In mid-January, The Sun captures photos of Hadid leaving Malik’s apartment, suggesting the two may be back together. But no official confirmation either way is given.
March 2019: In March, Malik makes two post-breakup moves that confuse fans. On March 2, he tweeted, “@GiGiHadid love you.”
A few weeks later, a fan tweeted, “Zayn loves that I love his ‘I’m with you’ bracelet and he himself confirmed that it’s HIS favourite.” Malik responds, “I love it because Gigi bought me it.”
Despite Malik’s public declarations of love towards Hadid, Us Weekly reports that they aren’t back together. “Gigi and Zayn still talk,” a source claims. “She still has feelings for him, of course, but he has major issues and she knows they aren’t compatible. She’s still very single.”
April 2019: After false rumors emerge that Hadid is dating Selena Gomez’s ex Samuel Krost, Malik takes to Twitter to clarify his feelings about it all. On April 3, Malik fires off a series of tweets, which some interpreted to be his response to Hadid dating Krost. Amongst the tweets he wrote, “How about you all go f*ck yourselves with your irrelevant bullshit? This ain’t a place for feelings. And you aren’t the person you said you were.”
However, once fans tied Malik’s comments to the rumors, he tweets more directly. “My tweet was not about @GiGiHadid so leave her the f*ck alone,” he explains. He went on to write, “she is the most amazing woman I’ve ever known,” followed by, “And does nothing but love and support me when lord knows I don’t deserve it.”
August 2019: After Hadid very publicly begins dating former Bachelorette contestant Tyler Cameron, Us Weekly gives a status update on Malik’s feelings.
“He has been sad about their breakup and was very sad after their breakup,” a source tells the outlet. The source also adds that Malik bought a $10 million New York City apartment “less than 10 months ago” to be closer to Hadid’s place, although he “never fully” moved in.
As for the exes’ relationship, the source adds: “Everyone around Gigi is very supportive of her moving on. It was not a good move for Gigi and Zayn to be around each other. It wasn’t a healthy situation for her.”
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November 2019: E! reports that the two are in contact again after her relationship with Cameron fizzled. Early in the month, Hadid and Cameron unfollowed each other, signaling an official end. A source tells the outlet that Hadid “has always had a soft spot for Zayn and they have a lot of history together.” They continue, “They went through a phase where they took time apart and weren’t communicating at all, but they have been in touch recently. She is supportive of him. They chat here and there but it’s been casual.”
As for an official reconciliation, the source explains, “They are definitely not getting back together but are on good terms right now.”
December 2019: Fans speculate that the pair could be back together after Hadid posts an Instagram Story where she was making a recipe from Malik’s mom. She even tags Trisha Malik in the post, writing, “Sunday in the kitchen: about to marinate the chicken for one of my favorites!!! @mammamalik’s Chicken Curry Pasta Salad.” Trisha also re-posts the clip and tags Hadid in a video from a Zayn/Gigi fan account where Hadid was asked “What’s your favorite restaurant in the world?” and she responded, “My boyfriend’s mom’s house.”