Zayn Malik has quit One Direction after five years.

The 22-year-old singer has made the decision to bow out of the chart-topping boyband, leaving Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson to continue as a four-piece.

Zayn said in a statement released to MailOnline on Wednesday afternoon: 'My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined.

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Quit: Zayn Malik (second left) has quit One Direction after five years - abandoning band mates (from left, pictured in December 2014) Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson

'But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart.'

He continued: 'I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22 year old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.

'I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world.'

Over: Zayn, 22, announced via a statement from his management on Wednesday afternoon that he was to leave the band

Going on as a four piece: Harry, Liam, Niall and Louis have said that they will go on as a four piece (without Zayn, centre)

The Best Song Ever hitmakers will record their fifth album in Zayn's absence and will continue with the remaining dates on the band's forthcoming world tour.

ZAYN MALIK'S STATEMENT IN FULL 'My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. 'But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. 'I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22 year old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. 'I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world.' Advertisement

One Direction said in a second statement released to MailOnline: 'We're really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future.

'The past five years have been beyond amazing, we've gone through so much together, so we will always be friends.

'The four of us will now continue. We're looking forward to recording the new album and seeing all the fans on the next stage of the world tour.'

While E! News claimed Harry will be the next star to leave, planning a solo career and a move into acting, Harry's representatives rubbished the story on Wednesday night.

A rep told MailOnline: 'The band, including Harry, have an upcoming world tour and have announced a brand new album for later this year as a four piece.'

Meanwhile, Simon Cowell - who masterminded One Direction from five solo artists who auditioned for The X Factor back in 2010 - thanked Zayn for his commitment to the band.

He added: 'I would like to say thank you to Zayn for everything he has done for One Direction.

'Since I first met Zayn in 2010, I have grown very, very fond - and immensely proud - of him. I have seen him grow in confidence and I am truly sorry to see him leave.

Last sighting: Last week Zayn was pictured arriving at Heathrow airport after abandoning the Asian leg of the 'One Direction - On The Road Again Tour' and rushing home to recover from 'stress'

Rushing back: Zayn jetted home from the band's world tour last week for 'crisis' talks with his fiancee Perrie Edwards

'As for One Direction, fans can rest assured that ‎Niall, Liam, Harry and Louis are hugely excited about the future of the band.'

Within minutes of the news being announced, the star's name was trending on Twitter as the heartthrob's fans mourned their pop idol's departure.

Reactions ranged from heartbroken, to compassionate to angry, but the overriding emotion was devastation.

One fan wrote, 'zayn please @zaynmalik i cant stop crying', while another said, 'Sitting in my room crying over zayn malik cant believe it my favourite person ever #zaynleavesonedirection #saddestimeever @zaynmalik'.

Say it isn't so: Within minutes of the news being announced, the star's name was trending on Twitter

No way: The heartthrob's fans mourned their pop idol's departure as they flocked to social media

Shocked: Reactions ranged from heartbroken, to compassionate to angry, but the overriding emotion was devastation

Hurting: Millions of fans shared their devastation as the news began to spread worldwide

Selfish: One fan had a slight more angry reaction saying, 'you couldn't even waiting until after this tour was over? selfish @zaynmalik'

Chiming in: Outspoken columnist Katie Hopkins couldn't help but make comment about the news

Understanding: Former X Factor contestant and JLS member Aston Merrygold sent his best wishes

Predictions: UK rap artist Tinie Tempah suggested that Zayn might launch a solo career

Mocking? Gary Lineker seemed to be making of fun of the distressed reactions

Secret fan? Professor Green also seemed to be mocking fans with his tweet

Cheeky: Notorious X Factor contestant Frankie Cocozza added his two cents to the mix

Some fans questioned whether the others could continue on as a four piece without Zayn.

'@zaynmalik we will never forget you because there is no one direction without you', one user posted.

One fan had a slight more angry reaction saying: 'you couldn't even waiting until after this tour was over? selfish @zaynmalik'.

1D Updates wrote: 'I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO OR SAY IM SHAKING AND CRYING AND I DONT WANT THIS TO BE REAL'.

Courtney Boerner tweeted: 'You know your life is pathetic when you start crying over a member of One Direction leaving the band....IM SO SAD'.

Missing Zayn? Harry Styles was recording crying on stage as the band continued with their tour in Indonesia

Upset: The heartthrob seemed overcome with emotion as the group performed at Stadium Utama Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta

Making light of the situation: Louis Tomlinson was seen putting his arm around an imaginary Zayn as Liam comforted Harry

Five became four: The band have now officially begun their run as a four-piece

The show must go on: The group will continue with their mammoth tour and have not cancelled any dates

But some Twitter users were more positive about the announcement.

Jaclyn Forbes wrote: '@zaynmalik im not gunna say I won't miss you but im glad that you're putting yourself first. :) it's not gunna be the same without you'.

Meanwhile, some reacted to the news with hope that they might be able to fill Zayn's place in the line-up.

Frankie Cocozza, who was a contestant on The X Factor in 2011, wrote: 'Dear @SimonCowell Now Zayn has gone, how about a call up?'.

Other famous stars joined in to share their thoughts on the news as Piers Morgan, Tinie Tempah, Gary Lineker and Katie Hopkins tweeted their reactions.

Last Thursday, Zayn left One Direction's On The Road Again tour prematurely - abandoning band mates Harry, Louis, Niall and Liam - when he was accused of cheating on his girlfriend of three years.

Happier times: The fresh-faced band were all smiles at a 2011 meet and greet with fans in London

Story of my life: Zayn Malik's One Direction timeline

Summer 2010 17-year-old Zayn auditions for the seventh series of The X Factor, singing Mario's Let Me Love You at the Manchester auditions. He sailed through to the next round but his mum Trisha later admitted her son nearly 'chickened out.' Zayn was eliminated before the final round of the competition, but judges Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell teamed him up with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson to form a new boy band. Zayn Malik failed to make it through into the Boys category of X Factor 2010 but was teamed up with four other hopefuls to form One Direction During the bootcamp round Zayn was almost eliminated from the show for refusing to dance, with Simon Cowell eventually persuading him to return to the stage and finish the round. December 2010 One Direction finish in third place on X Factor and shortly afterwards, it was confirmed that the band had been signed by Cowell to a reported £2million Syco contract. Recording for their debut album began in January 2011. September 2011 One Direction top the charts with their first single, What Makes You Beautiful while their debut album, Up All Night was also a best seller. November 2011 Zayn and fellow X Factor star Rebecca Ferguson ended their headline hitting relationship after four months. December 2011 Zayn starts dating Perrie Edwards after meeting on set of The X Factor, where she was a finalist with Little Mix on series eight. April 2012 Zayn and Perrie's first attempt at a relationship ended after a few weeks, the couple started dating officially four months later. A source told The Sun newspaper: 'They’ve spent months getting to know each other to make sure they were on track before they went public.' The couple were unsure their relationship could work because of the pressures and travel involved in their work, but decided they liked each other too much not to give things a try. July 2012 Zayn meets Perrie's parents for the first time and admitted he was really nervous. He told The Mirror: 'I went up to meet her mum and family the other month. I was a bit scared of meeting her brother to be honest - he's in the navy, he's a big bloke. I thought he was going to be a bit defensive over his sister but he was cool.' October 2012 Zayn talks about how homesick he is feeling while away on tour with One Direction in a new interview. He says: 'It's really been hard. Last weekend was the first time in six months that I've been home.' November 2012 One Direction's second studio album, Take Me Home is released February 2013 Zayn and Perrie were rocked by claims that Zayn had cheated on her with Australian waitress Courtney Webb. According to reports Courtney is a £500-a–hour stripper who spent five months working at a London strip club performing private dances and fully-nude private sessions. She took pictures of the singer while he slept, which went public. But Perrie stood by her man. June 2013 Zayn proved his love for his lady when he got a tattoo of Perrie as a cartoon on his arm. She was touched by the gesture and said at the time: 'It must be love to be honest. When I'm away from him, I guess he can just take a look at his arm and remind him of me. So it's a lovely compliment really. I love it, it's lovely. It's a cartoon version of me so it's a little caricature so it's cool.' August 2013 Zayn popped the question, breaking girls' hearts everywhere - and the news was revealed when Perrie stepped out at the One Direction This Is Us world premiere in London wearing a huge sparkler. November 2013

Midnight Memories was released globally on 25 November 2013 May 2014 Zayn jetted home from the band's world tour last week for 'crisis' talks with his fiancee Perrie Edwards Video emerged showing Zayn and Louis apparently sharing a roll-up 'joint' during the Latin America leg of their 2014 Stadium Tour. November 2014. Zayn found himself at the centre of a row when he failed to join his bandmates in the US to promote their fourth album Four, prompting Today show's Matt Lauer to ask if it was related to drugs. March 2015 Perrie was pictured without her engagement ring and claimed it was because it was at the cleaners. A couple of weeks later, Zayn publicly apologised when he was pictured with his arm around Lauren Richardson during an all night party in Phuket, Thailand, saying 'sorry for how it looks' and tweeted about his love for Perrie. Zayn left the band's On The Road Again tour, flying home from Thailand for 'crisis' talks with Perrie. After Zayn flies home to London, his fiancee was pictured leaving their shared home just five hours after his arrival with multiple bags, fueling rumours of a split. Zayn announces he has left One Direction on 25 March. Advertisement

A spokesperson for the band said: 'Zayn has signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate. The band wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta.'

He was holidaying in Phuket with fellow band member Louis when he was pictured holding hands and with a 19-year-old girl, Lauren Richardson, last week.

Two pictures, including one that saw Zayn resting a hand on the same girl's midriff in an embrace and another of him leaving the Seduction nightclub with the girl, quickly went viral on social media.

As a result flew straight home for 'crisis talks' with girlfriend Perrie Edwards, who he has been engaged to just over a year.

Zayn tweeted about the most recent incident to publicly apologise for 'what it looked like' and declare his love for the Little Mix singer, shortly after the incriminating pictures surfaced.

Stressed: Zayn left the One Direction On The Road Again tour last Friday when he was accused of cheating on Perrie

Making amends: Zayn publicly apologised after being pictured with his arm around Lauren Richardson and told his fans, 'I'm sorry for what it looks like'

What's going on? The pair held hands outside the nightclub Seduction in Phuket, causing fans to launch into a Twitter meltdown

Back to reality: Lauren - the girl at the centre of the cheating allegations - was pictured at home in Walthamstow on Tuesday, following her holiday in Thailand

He wrote: 'I'm 22 years old... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous f**ks in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like x.'

LAUREN RICHARDSON'S FATHER SPEAKS OUT The father of Lauren Richardson - the tattooed blonde at the centre of the recent cheating scandal - described Zayn's shock decision to quit the band for good as the 'worst case scenario' on Wednesday. Speaking at Lauren's family home in Walthamstow, east London, David Richardson suggested his daughter had gone in to hiding and declined to say where she was. He said: 'Lauren's not in, you can imagine the attention we've had. I got that good news when I got home from work. It's the worst scenario. 'I've got nothing to say on the matter whatsoever and, as you can imagine, all we want is to be left in peace.' Advertisement

The singer and his fiance spent five hours talking at the house that they shared, with Perrie leaving without her engagement ring and with her bags packed.

Perrie has now been compared to Yoko Ono by angry One Direction fans.

The Little Mix singer has been blamed for her fiancé shocking decision to quit.

Shortly after the 22-year-old singer confirmed the news, one fan lashed out at his fiancée on Twitter, writing: 'Perrie's the modern day Yoko Ono ... I can't believe this'.

Another tweeted: 'PERRIE EDWARDS IS THE YOKO ONO OF ONE DIRECTION'.

Yoko, who is the widow of the late John Lennon, was often blamed for breaking up the Beatles.

Meanwhile, other users suggested Perrie should quit Little Mix in order to support Zayn's desire to lead a 'normal' life.

One fan wrote: 'What just happened?! Did Perrie made him chose her over his career? Unfair, man. She should also quit if that's the case. Just an opinion (sic).'

Sources previously revealed that Zayn was willing to do anything to prove his commitment to the Move singer, 21, after he jetted back to the UK for crisis talks with her following cheating rumours earlier this month.

An insider said: 'Zayn's found touring with the band a big strain this time around - he's seriously exhausted and wanted to let his hair down in Thailand.

'Now his plan has backfired and he's gutted Perrie has been left humiliated.

'He's told Perrie he'll do anything to please her and wants to stop pushing their wedding date back. He says he wants to get married this year. But Perrie is finding it hard to let go of what she's seen.'

The father of Lauren described Zayn's shock decision to quit the band for good as the 'worst case scenario' on Wednesday evening.

Speaking at Lauren's family home in Walthamstow, east London, David Richardson suggested his daughter had gone in to hiding and declined to say where she was.

He said: 'Lauren's not in, you can imagine the attention we've had.'

Referring to the confirmation that Zayn has quit 1D for good, Mr Richardson said: 'I got that good news when I got home from work. It's the worst scenario.

Asked how Lauren felt about Zayn quitting the band, Mr Richardson said: 'I've got nothing to say on the matter whatsoever and, as you can imagine, all we want is to be left in peace.'

The One Direction holiday sparked a second scandal on Sunday morning when pictures of Louis Tomlinson kissing a girl in a pool emerged and rocked his four-year relationship with Eleanor Calder, which is now thought to have ended.

Four piece Harry, Louis, Liam and Niall continued with the Asian leg of the 1D tour though the band sparked criticism when Liam jokingly covered up Zayn's face on a poster.

'Controversial': A video obtained by MailOnline saw Zayn light up a rolled up cigarette as he and Louis Tomlinson were driven to their gig in Lima, Peru. Louis, narrating the video jokes: 'What do you think of this type of content?'

Zayn was thought to be the most reluctant member of One Direction from the start.

He first auditioned as a solo singer on the X Factor in the summer of 2010, but his mum admitted in 2013 that he was reluctant to audition.

Speaking to BBC News, Trisha Malik said: 'On the morning of the audition Zayn didn't want to go. He chickened out, saying: "Can't I just leave it?"'

Coaxed into it, Zayn's mum said that he should see how it goes.

On The Road: One Direction's relentless touring schedule Up All Night: 2011-2012 53 shows in total from December 2011 to July 2012 Take Me Home: 2013 123 shows in total from February 2013 to November 2013 Where We Are: 2014 71 shows in total from April 2014 to October 2014 On The Road Again: 2015 80 shows in total from February 2015 to October 2015 Advertisement

'He hated dancing but loved singing,' she recalls. 'He used to sing until three o'clock in the morning and I often used to have to ask him to turn it down.'

The family - Zayn's parents, three sisters and the family dog - have moved to a new house in the city which was bought by Zayn.

In the recent One Direction movie, Trisha is seen, overcome with emotion, as she is handed the keys.

'We never had enough money to buy our own house,' she explains. 'We always lived in rented accommodation, so Zayn knew how very important it was for me to have my own place'.

Trisha used to work as a halal chef in the kitchen of a local primary school, making meals for Muslim children. On Zayn's advice she gave up her job as she said: 'Zayn said "You don't have to do this anymore". Instead, he puts my wage into my bank'.

And it isn't just his mother who Zayn has been scouring the property market for; the kind-hearted musician splashed out on a new family house for fiancée Perrie Edwards' mother.

The heartthrob has proved himself to be the perfect future son-in-law by reportedly splashing out more than £200,000 on a new abode for the Little Mix singer's mum Debbie in Dorset.

After hearing Debbie was keen to relocate from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, to the southern county, Perrie, was going to help her out with footing the bill for a mortgage - before her generous partner stepped in.

Last year saw Zayn hit back against drug abuse claims made about him by US host Matt Lauer on The Today Show in November.

Speaking to The Sun, he fumed: 'I'm really angry and upset by what was said on The Today Show. I was really ill at the weekend. That's why I couldn't fly to America.'

When Matt interviewed the boys, he shocked them when he asked if Zayn's absence was related to drugs.

He said: 'There’s obviously a lot of concern, a lot of fans have been tweeting overnight. Is it something more serious? There have been rumors of substance abuse. What’s going on?'

Worn out: Zayn - seen at LAX in Novermber 2014 - has been pictured looking particularly gaunt in the past year following accusations of 'substance abuse'

Where it all began: One Direction were formed by Simon Cowell on The X Factor in 2010

Liam replied: 'No, he’s just got a stomach bug. He’s okay. He’s just at home. He just needs to rest.'

A representative for 1D told MailOnline at the time: 'Zayn was taken ill after recording the Band Aid single at the weekend and was unfortunately not well enough to fly to the USA yesterday.

'He will join the band for promotion for the new album as soon as he possibly can.'

The heartthrob recovered and joined his band mates at the end of last week for appearances on Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel and then for the AMAs.

However, in May 2014, MailOnline published a video showing Zayn and Louis Tomlinson laughing and joking about marijuana as they apparently share a roll-up 'joint' during the Latin America leg of their 2014 Stadium Tour.

In the footage, Louis narrates from behind the camera, laughingly announcing: ‘So here we are, leaving Peru. Joint lit. Happy days!’

‘What do you think about that kind of content?’ he asks bandmate Zayn Malik, 21, who is alongside him in the SUV ferrying them to Peru’s Estadio Nacional in Lima where One Direction performed to a 40,000 capacity crowd on April 27 as part of their 'Where We Are' tour.

‘Very controversial,’ Zayn responds.

During the 15-minute journey Louis and Zayn joke with each other and the three members of their team travelling with them.

Louis starts filming while the team prepare to leave. Overhearing discussions between what appears to be a member of the band’s security and the driver he says with delight, ‘It’s about the joint. What a great thing to capture in a different language. They were just asking if it’s okay.’

A member of the team asks about the filming: ‘Are we allowed to talk contraband in this?’

Louis replies: 'Yes, that's what it is about.'

Driving into the sunlight from an underground parking lot, Louis says, ‘I want to light up,’ and a member of the team hands him a lighter and the flicker of a roll up being lit is caught on camera.

The sight of a police officer on a motorbike escorting them, is met with great excitement. Louis notes: ‘That’s the police. That’s the po po. One-nil.’ He coughs and a cloud of smoke, floats across the camera lens and Louis yells, ‘Smokescreen baby!’

Breaking records: Last year saw one Direction officially become the richest boyband in music history from Britain and Ireland

The £££ factor! How five teenagers from a TV talent show became the richest boyband in WORLD HISTORY In 2014, One Direction became the richest boyband in world history, with a combined wealth of more than £70million. Each member of the group - Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan - have amassed an eye-watering personal wealth of £14million each, according to The Sunday Times’ list of richest musicians aged 30 and under, which was released in May 2014. The band's record label boss, music mogul Simon Cowell, 55, saw his fortune grow to £300million, partly thanks to the worldwide success of One Direction. Sunday Times Rich List editor Ian Coxon said at the time: ‘The group performed 136 shows in 78 cities in 2013, which generated box office revenues of $114million. They played to total audiences of just under 1.5million people. 'They’ve had top-selling albums, sell-out tours, DVDs, a book and they have even endorsed a perfume. There hasn’t been another boyband who have made so much money so quickly. 'Whether they will carry on at the same rate is anybody’s guess.' One Direction made history this year thanks to their four studio albums - Up All Night, Take Me Home, Midnight Memories and Four - debuting at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. To date, the band has sold more than 50 million records world wide. Advertisement

Later in the video, Louis pans to a police motorcyclist just yards away. Louis giggles, ‘One nil b***h! Look at this b***h! He’s having a look. He’s thinking, “I’m sure I can smell an illegal substance in there.” And he’s hit the nail on the head.’

At this Zayn smilingly accepts what appears to be the lit joint and takes a drag. ‘How is it Zayn?’ Louis asks. Pausing a beat before he exhales Zayn replies, ‘Nice.’

After a half-hearted attempt to film ‘a bit of the culture’ with footage of the street beyond the SUV, Louis pans back to Zayn allowing the focus to drop to the smoking ‘joint’ in his hand and asks, ‘How’s that kind of culture?’

Zayn replies, ‘It’s great. It’s going to be even greater culture when we get to Jamaica.’

In 2012, Zayn seemed to start to showing the strain of life in the public eye as he announced that he would be quitting Twitter.

According to Huffington Post, he claimed: 'The reason I don’t tweet as much as I use to, is because I’m sick of all the useless opinions and hate that i get daily goodbye twitter'.

'My fans that have something nice to say can tweet me on the one direction account, x.'

Zayn’s departure spawned trends like #ComeBackZayn and #ZaynComeBack and prompted campaigns to get the heartthrob back online which he eventually did several weeks later.

Angry: Fans took to Twitter to hit out at Liam for his jokey message about the Zayn situation

Last year saw one Direction officially become the richest boyband in music history from Britain and Ireland.

The five memebers each have an individual wealth of £15million which combines to a total net worth of £70million.

In one year alone the band earned £45million, according to the Sunday Times’ list of richest musicians aged 30 and under.

The increase in the boys' personal earnings, from £9million to £15million, is due to the huge success of their world tour as well as DVD and record sales, lucrative advertising endorsements and their ever-growing American fanbase.

Bradford-born Zayn has bought a Bentley Continental GT worth £32,000 with his earnings, the home worth £280,000 for his mother and a £2.2million mansion in north London.

Earlier this week, Liam Payne seemed to hint that he wasn't too upset by the departure of his bandmate from the band's tour.

On Monday he shared a picture of himself and the other band members Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles, posing with fans and a poster of the group, in which Liam blocked out Zayn's face with his hand.

The cheeky star wrote on Twitter: '#makinglightofasituation sorry for the laughs guys.'

However, fans were quick to react and hit out at Liam for making light of his friend's absence.

Troubles? Perrie was seen leaving the house she shares with Zayn last week, five hours after they were reconciled

Last pic: This is the last time Zayn and Perrie were pictured together, in an Instagram snap on New Year's Eve

Gorgia Rose fumed: 'How dare you cover Zayn's face? Don't f**king do it again.'

And Ana Evans wrote: '@Real_Liam_Payne what the????? Why you covering zayn;s face? Am sorry but I cant c da humour in making joke of a frnd's absence due 2 stress.'

Kristin Harris retweeted the message with her comment 'Too soon. Too soon.'

Huda chimed in to say: 'Cover your own face next time' while a number of users wrote variations of 'Why are you covering Zayn's face?'.

One Direction have more than 1.4bn streams on Spotify worldwide and are the second most-streamed British band on the digital music service.

The band made history this year thanks to their four studio albums - Up All Night, Take Me Home, Midnight Memories and Four - debuting at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.

To date, the band has sold more than 50 million records world wide.

X Factor judge Louis Walsh has claimed that he is not surprised by the news of Zayn's departure.

After helping form the group on the reality TV show in 2010, the accomplished manager claims he knew the Story of My Life hitmakers were having 'problems.'

The 62-year-old star said: 'I knew this was happening. I know everything! Every band has problems.'

But Louis believes the British group will continue to be successful as a four-piece.

He told Ireland's Independent.ie: 'The Spice Girls had it when Geri Halliwell left. Take Take had it when Robbie left. Westlife had it when Brian left. They all still continued. And One Direction will continue now that Zayn Malik has left One Direction. They will go on. The tour will go on.'

Meanwhile, Gary Barlow sent his 'best' to remaining members as the situation surely brought back memories of when his own group was rocked when Robbie Williams dramatically quit in 1995 and Jason Orange left last year.

The 44-year-old singer wrote on Twitter: 'Sending my best to all the 1D boys ! #thatters we've all been there haven't we ? !!!!! (sic)'.