Alex Cooper felt such "pressure" when she interviewed Zayn Malik

She told E! News: "I think there's different levels to the intimidation or the stress. Zayn essentially coming out of retirement from doing interviews, I was putting pressure on myself to make sure that I was giving that person a really great environment to feel comfortable and to feel seen and to feel heard. And to not feel pressured into talking about things he didn't want to talk about."

The 'Pillowtalk' singer - who was in a relationship with model Gigi Hadid from 2015 until 2021 and has three-year-old Khai with her - did address topics such as his sudden departure from the boyband and how he manages to co-parent his daughter, but explained that he had taken some time out because he felt as if himself, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Lim Payne had been "overexposed" during their time as a group.

He said: "I think that's why I've took the time I have to not even necessarily do interviews and do too much press exposure..

"Because I feel like we were so overexposed in the band that it takes a bit of time for you naturally to progress as a human and give something else that is interesting that you have to say."

At the time, he noted that becoming a parent had "put colour back into [his] life" after years of suffering with anxiety.

He said: ""Since I've had my daughter the main thing in my life is trying to be a good example to her. That's why I'm even doing this interview.

"I used to get a lot of anxiety around doing a conversation like this but I want her to be able to look at me and say, 'My dad's doing this.'

"I keep being told I'm telling dad jokes and I'm leaning into it it's okay, it's cool.

"People just look at me like I'm a weirdo and I'm like, 'Well, I'm a dad now so I'm allowed to tell these jokes!'

"I think we all get to a certain point in adult life where everything sort of seems vague and grey and boring and she's brought that colour back to my life for me."