When news broke that Zayn Malik decided to leave One Direction, his former bodyguard Paul Higgins took to Instagram and posted a touching message that honored the former 1D guy and also addressed the haters. While it had originally been reported that Paul left his job with the band because of Zayn's bad behavior, that totally doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, it seems like they were really close!

Paul posted the photo below with the caption, "It's been a sad sad day. I've seen some of you sending him hate already. Instead of sending him hate, support him! He really needs it right now. It sure wasn't easy for him to leave. @niazkilam feel better, get some rest, always remember that you are loved and that you will never be forgotten xx."

Aww! We think it's so sweet that everyone is being so supportive of Zayn's decision. We really hope the former 1D guy takes the time he needs to recuperate and focuses on just being a normal 22 year old.

Do you think Paul's message is sweet? Let us know in the comments below.

UPDATE: Paul has confirmed that the Instagram account is not actually his.

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