He is one fifth of the biggest boyband on the planet, created by the X Factor in 2010. But today, as Zayn Malik is signed off the One Direction tour due to 'stress', many are beginning to question whether fame is beginning to take its toll on the singer. Indeed, there are some critics who suggest the 22-year-old - who arrived at Heathrow airport early today - may be looking to make an exit from the group for good. Scroll down for video . Zayn Malik has sparked concerns after he was signed off the X Factor tour for stress following the release of pictures of him holding hands with a woman who was not his fiance Perrie Edwards . The catalyst for  Zayn's departure from the Asia leg of 1D's On The Road tour was a series of photographs released earlier this week. In them, the singer is seen holding hands with a pretty blonde girl named Lauren Richardson, despite the fact that he is engaged to Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards. Clearly distressed by the release of the images, Zayn tweeted: 'I'm 22 years old... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous f**ks in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like x' Lauren's friends have since come forward to defend her, and have said that there was nothing behind the intimate shots. A spokesman for the band revealed Zayn's decision to take some time out saying: 'Zayn has signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate. 'The band wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta.' This photograph of Zayn caused outrage as he is currently engaged to Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards . In this, it appears Zayn is holding hands with Lauren Richardson. Her friends have denied any wrong doing . It has since been reported that the singer is struggling with having his personal life so publicly scrutinised. But even from the early stages of his career, Zayn, who is known as the shyest member of the group, struggled with his fame - in particular, after he and his fellow bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Naill Horan were catapulted onto a worldwide platform. And as early as 2012, it appears that the cracks were beginning to show. In August of that year, Zayn caused concerns among the 'directioners' when he briefly quit Twitter. At the time he wrote: 'The reason i don't tweet as much as i use to, is because I'm sick of all the useless opinions and hate that i get daily goodbye twitter :)' However, he was back on the social media site 48 hours later saying: 'Sorry, I was getting some abuse on twitter but I dont want to let my fans down. So I am back!! :) x'. Zayn and Perrie, pictured here at DisneyLand have been dating since 2011, however, he has been accused of cheating on the Little Mix singer on more than one occasion . It was around this time that Zayn had been accused of cheating on Perrie for the first time. He was filmed through the keyhole of a hotel room looking like he was trying to take a girl back to where he was staying. Zayn and Perrie's relationship had been rocked, and the singer's personal affairs were been bought into the limelight, but it was only set to get worse. In February 2013, Zayn was accused of cheating on his fiance with an exotic dancer, Australian Courtney Webb. In pictures - which were featured in The Sun newspaper - the scruffy-haired singer was seen lying on a bed sleeping after allegedly having sex with the 23-year-old. According to Courtney, the pair met whilst out clubbing in London before the One Direction star took her back to his £2.2million north London home. Courtney said of the tryst: 'He's an absolute s**t. How dare he - not only to me but to Perrie?' She added: 'I definitely don't think it's the first time he's done this. I feel sorry for Perrie - she doesn't know this is going on. It's wrong and it has to stop.' Zayn is on fifth of One Direction with bandmates l-r Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Naill Horan . Zayn has been dating Perrie since 2011 with the pair becoming engaged in August 2013. The Little Mix singer is yet to comment on the recent stories but was spotted last night leaving the house she shares with Zayn, her engagement ring still on her finger. In November 2014, he again caused concern for his well-being when he failed to make a trip to America with his group. And as rumours of drug use flew around the internet, American Today show host Matt Lauer asked the rest of his bandmates: 'There have been rumours of substance abuse, what's going on?' Zayn told The Sun that he had been hurt by the accusations saying: 'I'm really angry and upset by what was said. I was really ill at the weekend, that's why I couldn't fly to America.' And Zayn has previously hinted that he would have never pursued a career in music it were it not for his bandmates. He once said: 'We all keep each other down to earth and there's defo no way I could have done this as a solo artist. 'I would have cracked up and given it all up and gone home by now. The lads keep me grounded and it's good to know you're not the only person going through everything. We're sharing every experience.' In a video obtained by the MailOnline last year Zayn was filmed smoking what looked like a 'joint' in the back of a car with his bandmate Louis Tomlinson . Of course, if Zayn was to leave the band, he wouldn't be the first person to quit when it all got too much. Indeed, many have been quick to draw potential comparisons between him and Robbie Williams. Robbie famously quit Take That for the first time in 1995 amid rumours that his drug use had spiraled out of control. Rumours which were later confirmed by Robbie when he admitted to having been addicted to cocaine, saying  there was a point in his life where he thought he might die. The singer said: 'I was so deep into addiction I knew I was probably going to die soon but I didn't care.' He added: 'I managed to escape by the skin of my teeth and I'm lucky. I was days away from dying quite a few times on all manner of substances. 'There could easily have been a Heath Ledger scenario. Unfortunately I've been in a place where I didn't care if I was on the planet or not. I do care now.' Although there is no evidence to suggest that Zayn has a drug problem, he has previously been accused of substance abuse - something which he has denied. And last year, in a video obtained exclusively by the MailOnline, Zayn was filmed smoking what appears to be a joint made of marijuana. In the footage, which is thought to have been taken by his bandmate Louis Tomlinson, the boys are driving through Peru in the back of a large car. Zayn singing on stage with One Direction, it is hoped that he will re-join the boys on tour next week . At one point they spot a police officer riding a bike alongside their car, Louis is then heard saying: 'One nil b***h! Look at this b***h! He's having a look. He's thinking, 'I'm sure I can smell an illegal substance in there.' And he's hit the nail on the head.' Louis also said: 'Zayn takes his job very seriously. He makes sure he goes through a two-hour intense warm-up before every show. Just to get himself in the zone for the show. 'One very very important factor of Zayn's warm up of course is Mary J herself. In fact I will present it to him now for some fantastic singing.' Mary J is a known nickname for marijuana. Then, after a half-hearted attempt to film 'a bit of the culture' with footage of the street beyond the SUV, Louis pans back to Zayn allowing the focus to drop to the smoking 'joint' in his hand and asks: 'How's that kind of culture?' Zayn replies: 'It's great. It's going to be even greater culture when we get to Jamaica.' At times, members of the band's team can be heard talking about 'chicken'. At the beginning of the journey Louis asks 'are we all right for chicken?' It isn't clear what is meant by 'chicken' as the guys joke and laugh in increasingly high spirits. Zayn and his One Direction bandmates found fame on the X Factor in 2010 and have since gone on to have huge global success . The boys have grown up a lot in the five years since their career first kicked off . On the first occasion that chicken is mentioned one of the band's support team can be heard saying 'we got a full chicken' just as the crew member seated in the front passenger seat passes something back and across to his colleague seated in front of Louis in the six-seater SUV. Later, a member of the team can be heard saying 'I've got an update. We got chicken in Chile.' Zayn and Louis chime in with much hilarity, 'We got Chile Chicken. Chile Chicken baby!' In underground slang the word 'chicken' has been used to describe quantities of cocaine. The term is derived from the term 'bird' which some people use as code for a kilogram of coke. Zayn is yet to make any further comment on his departure from the tour although it is hoped he will rejoin the band when they head to South Africa next week. He was today photographed touching down in the UK alongside one of the bands PR team and it has been reported that he will enter crisis talks during his time at home. MailOnline have contacted a representative for Zayn, who said they would not be making any further comment.
Zayn Malik was this week taken off the One Direction tour for stress . It followed photographs of him holding hands with a woman in Thailand . The woman in question was not Zayn's fiance Perrie Edwards . However, this is not the first time concerns have been raised for the singer . Last year he was caught up in a drugs scandal . And in 2013 he was accused of cheating on Perrie with a dancer .