Zayn Malik didn’t even make it to Wembley Stadium before he backed out of Capital FM’s Summertime Ball on Saturday (11.06.16).
The 23-year-old singer cancelled a scheduled performance at the annual gig in London because of ongoing anxiety issues – and it’s now been reported that the former One Direction star never even managed to leave his base in the city to make his way to the iconic venue.
An insider told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "At 7.30pm they were still preparing to interview him before he took to the stage. His team didn’t communicate with them until very late in the game and when people started to check if everything was OK, they refused to answer calls."
Zayn, for his part, apologised to his fans in a lengthy Instagram post, in which he revealed he has been dealing with anxiety problems for some time.
The event was set to mark his UK debut as a solo artist, following his much-discussed decision to quit One Direction before the band decided to take a break.
He wrote on Instagram: "To all those people who have been waiting to see me perform at the Capital Summertime Ball today..
"I flew into the UK last night to appear in my home country in front of my family, friends, and most importantly my UK fans.
"Unfortunately my anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me… with the magnitude of the event I have suffered the worst anxiety of my career. I cannot apologise enough but I want to be honest with everyone who has patiently waited to see me, I promise I will do my best to make this up to everybody I’ve let down today
"I know those who suffer anxiety will understand and I hope those who don’t can empathises with my situation."
Zayn Malik ‘never made it to Wembley’ for Capital Summertime Ball
