Simon Cowell was ''about to jump off a cliff'' when he found out Zayn Malik was leaving One Direction.

The 55-year-old music mogul initially tried to persuade Zayn, 22, to stay in the chart-topping boy band, but eventually understood it was important to let the ''stressed'' singer leave for his own sake.

He admitted: ''I was just about to jump off a cliff.

''I was trying to say to him [Zayn] he should stay around a bit longer. But something inside him said he'd had enough.

''I saw him in person as well - but once someone has made their mind up they are going to go.

''At the same time I don't want to push him too much because he's 22 and I could see he was a bit stressed and needed some time off.''

Once Zayn had departed the band, Simon admitted his priority was to ensure he made it as easy as possible for the other members of the group - Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan.

Speaking on The Late Late Show with James Corden, he said: ''I dealt with it then I made sure the guys were OK - because they were shocked as well.

''So I had to respect his decision. For the boys it was interesting because they were in the middle of these live shows at the time.

''Then I watched the show back and they were incredible. I have a feeling they are going to deliver the best record they have ever made.''