Zayn Malik, Perrie Edwards call off engagement

Former One Direction singer Zayn Malik has ended his engagement with Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards.

Shortly after People magazine reported Tuesday that Malik, 22, had broken up with Edwards, also 22, Billboard said an unspecified "rep" had confirmed the split. According to People, the breakup occurred two weeks ago, and Malik and Edwards are both currently in Los Angeles but apart. An Instagram photo posted Monday by Jesy Nelson, Edwards' bandmate in the British girl-group, showed Edwards lounging in a swimsuit without her engagement ring.

Edwards' record-company representative had no comment, but Edwards retweeted a link to the Billboard story. Malik, whose rep did not return People's request for comment, has not tweeted about the breakup.

Malik and Edwards became engaged in August 2013, Edwards' brother, Jonnie Edwards, announced in a tweet that no longer appears on his Twitter feed. "Right. My sister and Zayn ARE Engaged! It's true!" he wrote on Aug. 21 that year. "You seen the ring on the finger and all that Jazz! CONGRATS!!!" A day earlier, Perrie Edwards had displayed an engagement ring as she accompanied Malik to the London premiere of the documentary "One Direction: This Is Us."

In March, Malik took what was described as a leave of absence from One Direction's world tour, citing stress in the wake of photos from Phuket, Thailand, showing him holding hands with and hugging a woman other than Edwards. A day before the departure announcement, he had tweeted, "I love a girl named Perrie Edwards." Days later, he left the boy-band to pursue a solo career.