After Zayn Malik left One Direction in March, some heartbroken fans dubbed his fiancée, Perrie Edwards, “Yoko Ono 2.0.” The implication, of course, is that Perrie instigated Zayn’s decision to leave, just as some fans thought John Lennon’s wife did back when the Beatles broke up.

But while it’s easy to point fingers at a supposed “villain,” sometimes guys really do just want to be a “normal 22-year-old.”

At least, that’s what Perrie’s mom, Debbie, insists happened.

Speaking at the launch of Little Mix’s fragrance Gold Magic, she said, “It was his decision and nothing to do with Perrie.”

Debbie continued by gushing about Zayn, saying he’s already “part of the family.”

“They’ve always been happy. Zayn’s one of the nicest boys I’ve ever met and I couldn’t imagine Perrie with anyone else,” she said. “I feel like he’s already my son — they’ve been together since she was on ‘The X Factor’ so he’s part of the family.”

Though Zayn and Perrie have been engaged for more than two years, Debbie also confirmed there were no immediate plans for a wedding.

“They’ve got plenty of time. They’re still young,” she said.

So there we have it, Directioners: even though it still hurts that Zayn’s gone, it’s not cool to jump to conclusions. Whether she’s the culprit behind his ever-changing hair, though? That’s still a mystery.