ONE Direction star Zayn Malik has declared his love for fiancee, North-East born Perrie Edwards, after pictures emerged of him apparently close to another woman.

The heartthrob, whose fiancee comes from South Shields and is a member of girl band Little Mix, told his 14.1 million Twitter followers: "I'm 22 years old ... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous f***s in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like x"

A picture, which has been widely shared and published online, shows Malik with his arm around the bare stomach of a woman in a cropped top.

They look like they are posing for the picture and are both smiling, appearing to be cheek-to-cheek.

A second photo, taken from behind, shows Malik standing close to the woman and their hands and arms appear to be interlinked.

The pair appear to share a love of tattoos, with both of their arms adorned in designs and the woman also has a tattoo down her side.

Last year, Malik revealed his mother has given him grief about his ever-growing tattoo collection.

He said he reassured her that the designs covering his arms and body will look acceptable when he reaches later life.

His extensive collection includes a large microphone, cartoonish lettering and a stylised picture of his fiancee.