One Direction Splitting Up In March

One Direction confirmed in an official press release today that they are to "split up in March". The group, which sans Zayn Malik now consists of Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, are taking a break to focus on solo endeavours and have decided not to tour their upcoming fifth album.

But worry not! The split may well be temporary, with management saying that the plan is to go on hiatus only for "at least a year".

It is definitely not a split and they fully intend to get back together at some time in the future. But for now it is the end and they go out on top as the world's most popular music act.

Following a reunion in London last weekend, the group made the joint decision to split up following their "incredible" five year run since their creation on the 2010 English version of The X Factor.

It was further confirmed that the departure of Zayn from the band earlier this year had no bearing on the band's decision to split, with management saying:

This was the plan with or without Zayn. In fact, the band have been making amazing music and been incredibly happy without Zayn. Of course they would have preferred that he had stayed in the band, but they would have taken this extended hiatus even if he hadn't left.

The group premiered their latest music video for new single 'Drag Me Down' this past week, with an album confirmed for the coming year. After that, their future remains uncertain.

What do you think? Do the boys deserve a well-earned break, or would you like to see them carry on performing together? Or should they never get back together at all? Let us know down in the comments below!