Zayn and Perrie first met on The X Factor in December 2011. Zayn's former band, One Direction, had been scheduled to perform and Perrie's group, Little Mix, were contestants on the show. After much speculation, the couple seemingly confirmed their romance when they were spotted on a scooter date in London in May 2012. Zayn even got a cartoon tattoo of Perrie on his arm. By August 2013, they were engaged, and they rang in Zayn's 21st birthday at Disneyland in Paris the following year.
Zayn and Perrie had been engaged for two years when they decided to call things off in August 2015. Perrie later confirmed that Zayn broke up with her via text. "It was horrible, the worst time in my life," she said. "A four-year relationship, two-year engagement ended by a simple text message. Just like that." Zayn moved on with Gigi Hadid a few months later, and as a response, Little Mix released a song, "Shout Out to My Ex," that was full of Zayn and Gigi references.