Did Perrie Edwards give a very subtle shout-out to ex Zayn Malik during a chat on the Zach Sang Show?
The Little Mix singer, 30, spoke with host Zach Sang on the Wednesday, June 26, episode about how her current relationship with fiancé Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a different type of love than her previous liaisons.
Edwards and Oxlade-Chamberlain, 30, began dating in 2016 after meeting on the exclusive dating app Raya and became engaged in 2022. They share a 2-year-old son together, Axel.
Sang, 31, asked the British songstress how she realized that her love with Oxlade-Chamberlain was “healthy.”
“I think I noticed it at the start with just little things that Alex would do. The way he would react to things and the way he would carry himself. He’s just a sexy man!” she exclaimed.
She noted that the soccer player was “so confident” in himself and that “made me feel safer.”
“It’s just different. It’s a mature love,” she went on.
Sang then wondered, “Did you need to have this type of love to realize that what you had before was toxic?”
“Yes, otherwise, then I would have thought ‘Oh, that was love. Not sure I wanna try that again,’” Edwards said, adding that she was “hesitant” to date Oxlade-Chamberlain.
“It took a lot of time and trust to realize that not everyone’s the same,” the “Forget About Us” crooner continued.
Due to Oxlade-Chamberlain being a sportsman, Edwards thought at first that he would be a “player” and “break her heart.”
“But I was proved wrong!” she gushed, revealing that it was “love at first sight” with her beau.
Edwards’ most well-known ex is Malik, now 31. The pair got engaged in 2013 after dating for two years, but she and the One Direction singer broke off their relationship in 2015.
In May, Malik opened up about his rendezvous with Edwards and their subsequent split.
“From 17 to 21, I was in a relationship,” the “Pillowtalk” singer told Nylon. “I was engaged and [planned to get] married and I didn’t know anything about anything at that point. I thought I did, because I was 21. I was legally allowed to do everything, but I didn’t know s—t.”
He continued: “From 21 to 27, I was with [Gigi Hadid], and we had a kid, and I didn’t really take much time to get to know myself.”
Malik and the model, 29, were in an on-again, off-again relationship starting in 2015, with Hadid giving birth to their daughter, Khai, in September 2020. The two ultimately split for good in October 2021.