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The boyband singer, who recently denied rumours that he once dated fellow X Factor contestant Cher Lloyd, said that his mum used to leave him in his pram because he was such a "hyperactive" child.
Malik revealed in the band's book Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction: "I was a bit of a handful when I was a kid because I was quite hyperactive. Even in the house my mum used to put me in my pram because I was so full-on.
"I almost felt like I didn't fit in at my first two schools because I was the only mixed heritage kid in my class. When my sister and I moved to a different school it was a lot more mixed so I felt like I fitted in better. Also, all of the girls wanted to know who this new kid was and that's when I became cool.
"I was about 12 or 13 when I started taking pride in my appearance. I even used to get up half an hour earlier than my sister so I could do my hair. I had a few dodgy haircuts over the years. I shaved my head a few times and also had slits in my eyebrows. I thought I was properly gangsta, being into R&B and rap, and that it made me look hard.
"I was really short for my age, up until I went to sixth form. I had my first kiss when I was about nine or ten. I was so short I had to get a brick so I could stand on it and reach the girl's face."
It was recently claimed that Malik's bandmate Louis Tomlinson is dating model Eleanor Calder, while Harry Styles admitted that he has been "in love" with The Saturdays singer Frankie Sandford since he was eight years old.
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Watch the music video for One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful' below:
