Perrie Edwards said she is "heartbroken" after splitting from her former One Direction fiance Zayn Malik.

The Little Mix star thanked her family, friends and fans for helping her through what she described as "a hard time".

While not referring directly to having broken up with Malik, Edwards posted two tweets online to tell of her heartbreak.

She wrote: "Just Want To Thank All My Family, Friends And Fans For Helping Me Get Through This Hard Time! Because Of You All Im Still Smiling.

"Im Trying To Stay Strong, But Its Natural To Feel HeartBroken So If I Come Across Quiet When Meeting Fans, Im Sorry! I Do Love You All Lots."

The pop star duo, both 22, got engaged in 2013 but had never publicly announced a wedding date.

Reports that they had called time on their relationship emerged on Tuesday.

Edwards was not wearing her diamond ring in a bikini snap shared on Instagram by her band mate Jesy Nelson on Monday.

The pair's love was tested when Malik was pictured with blonde Lauren Richardson, 26, shortly before he quit One Direction.

Photographs emerged in March of community sports officer Ms Richardson holding hands with the singer in Thailand, and he left the band later that month.

At the time, Malik tweeted: ''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.''

Just last week, Malik said he would reveal the ''real me'' to fans, as he tweeted a picture showing him signing a new record contract.

He was pictured smiling whilst signing documents in front of RCA Records's logo.

The star tweeted: ''I guess I never explained why I left, it was for this moment, to be given the opportunity to show you who I really am.''

In a later tweet, he simply wrote: ''Real Me."

Today he posted a picture online of a flower sitting on top of a piano.

Little Mix are currently promoting their new single, Black Magic, in Los Angeles.

In her first interview since the news broke, Edwards told an E! presenter who asked how she was feeling: "I'm good, thank-you."

One of her band-mates then interrupted, saying: "We don't really want to talk about it."