Things got serious for One Direction when member Zayn Malik was forced to leave the group’s world tour to deal with stress today.

The group released a statement while on the Asia stop of their worldwide tour that described the situation:

“Zayn has been signed off with stress and is flying back to the U.K. to recuperate. The band wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta.”

Zayn was recently accused of cheating on his girlfriend after photos of the singer appeared with his arms linked with girls who were clearly not his girlfriend.

The accusations prompted Zayn to post a scathing response yesterday on Twitter defending himself:

It sounds like the stress of the relationship may have gotten the best of him. The amount of pressure it takes to travel the world with millions of screaming girls while also being engaged seems immense.

While Zayn is off taking care of his mental health, the show must go on. One Direction will continue as a foursome for now. Hopefully, this situation is temporary and not something that may snowball into a permanent decision for Zayn as he is one of the more beloved members of the group.

However, we can’t help but think of past pop groups who have had similar circumstances, most notably the Spice Girls, also British, who lost Geri Halliwell before heading out on a world tour, and finishing as a foursome. Notably, there is no mention of when or where Zayn will return to the tour, which may not be the best sign for fans.

We wish Zayn well as he heads back to the U.K. to get himself in order and look forward to his return to One Direction!

What are your thoughts about Zayn leaving One Direction’s world tour?