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Wednesday 20 February 2013

'It's so hard. I've never seen anything like this': Zayn Malik breaks down in tears as One Direction visit children's hospital in Ghana

Emotional: Zayn Malik broke down in tears as he visited a children's hospital in Accra, Ghana, for Comic Relief
They may be worth an estimated £100 million and be part of one of the world's most adored boy bands.
But the One Direction boys came crashing back down to reality when they visited a children's hospital in Accra, Ghana, for Comic Relief.
Zayn Malik was so moved by the emotional scenes that he broke down in tears, admitting he was struggling to come to terms with the magnitude of seeing children fighting for their lives on a daily basis. 
 More picture after the cut.....

Charitable: The One Direction boys met a number of children and young babies fighting for their lives against common diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia
Charitable: The One Direction boys met a number of children and young babies fighting for their lives against common diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia
A far cry from his usual bad boy image, the 20-year-old singer was visibly moved as he struggled contain his emotions on camera and pleaded with the public for help with the plight of those on the ward.
 
He said: 'It’s so hard. I’ve never seen anything, never experienced anything like this in my life. The babies aren't even a year old.'
Begging viewers to donate to this year's Red Nose Day Appeal, he added: 'We all waste money but the most important thing we can all do is give £5 to protect children from these illnesses.'
Struggling: Zayn found it so difficult to contain his emotions that he had to step outside the hospital to come to terms with the magnitude of what he had seen
Struggling: Zayn found it so difficult to contain his emotions that he had to step outside the hospital to come to terms with the magnitude of what he had seen

Struggling to contain his emotions: Zayn broke down in tears on camera as he filmed a segment
Struggling to contain his emotions: Zayn broke down in tears on camera as he filmed a segment
Struggling to contain his emotions: Zayn broke down in tears on camera as he filmed a segment

'It's so hard': The 20-year-old singer admitted the situation was worlds away from anything he had ever experienced before
'It's so hard': The 20-year-old singer admitted the situation was worlds away from anything he had ever experienced before
At one point, the Bradford-born heartthrob became so overcome with emotion that he had to step outside of the Princess Marie Louise Children's Hospital after witnessing the plight of a boy who would not have been on the ward if he had been given a simple vaccination, costing just £5, at birth.
Experiencing something a million miles away from their usual swanky showbiz lifestyles, Zayn was joined by bandmates, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, as they saw babies fighting for their lives against common diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia.
Liam added: 'It must be so difficult seeing your baby so ill. At home we take vaccinations for granted. But not all children here have access to them and that can mean the difference between life and death.
Group effort: Zayn was joined by his One Direction bandmates as he paid a visit to the Princess Marie Louise Children's Hospital in Accra
Group effort: Zayn was joined by his One Direction bandmates as he paid a visit to the Princess Marie Louise Children's Hospital in Accra

Pleading: Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan begged viewers to give what they can to help the plight of the children they met on their African trip
Pleading: Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan begged viewers to give what they can to help the plight of the children they met on their African trip
Pleading: Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan begged viewers to give what they can to help the plight of the children they met on their African trip

Emotions running high: Niall was visibly moved as he met with children at the hospital
Emotions running high: Niall was visibly moved as he met with children at the hospital
'I’ve watched Red Nose Day appeals before and been in tears. But seeing these babies so sick is another level of sadness. You just don’t realise how hard life can be in other parts of the world.'
In addition to their trip to Ghana, the One Direction boys are doing their bit for Comic Relief by releasing charity mash-up of Blondie's One Way or Another and the Undertones' Teenage Kicks in aid of Comic Relief.
And Prime Minister David Cameron even made a cameo appearance in the video at Downing Street.
On Sunday, Mr Cameron tweeted a picture of himself with the band, that read: 'Enjoyed my cameo in @onedirection's vid for @comicrelief charity single. Glad to help with the filming location!'
A helping hand: All the boys seemed keen to help out with the plight of those they met
A helping hand: All the boys seemed keen to help out with the plight of those they met

Doing their bit: The boys learned how just £5 could make the difference between life and death for children in Ghana
Doing their bit: The boys learned how just £5 could make the difference between life and death for children in Ghana

'In tears': Louis admitted he experienced 'another level of sadness' during his time in Ghana
'In tears': Louis admitted he experienced 'another level of sadness' during his time in Ghana
A government donation will cancel out the cost of VAT on the record, while also making 'a charitable donation that will be the equivalent of the VAT' by covering the cost of VAT on sales of the single from the overseas development budget.
Last month, Zayn admitted the life-changing visit to Ghana had really 'put things into perspective' for him.
He said in an interview on Daybreak: 'It kind of put things into perspective for me, just in like in everyday life you have like little problems that we think are so major, and then you go over there and you actually see people that are actually dealing with real problems.'

New pal: Prime Minister David Cameron makes a cameo appearance in the video for One Direction's charity single for Comic Relief
New pal: Prime Minister David Cameron makes a cameo appearance in the video for One Direction's charity single for Comic Relief


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