Jesy Nelson reveals 'breaking point' moment that made her quit Little Mix
Jesy left the band in December 2020
Jesy Nelson has carried out her first interview since making the tough decision to quit Little Mix last year, leaving Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall as a trio.
Just hours after Leigh-Anne Pinnock announced the lovely news that she's expecting her first child, Jesy's interview with Cosmopolitan UK was published, where the 29-year-old revealed the reason she left the band.
Bravely opening up about the 'breaking point' moment, Jesy explained she felt anxious after 'putting on a bit of weight' and explained the heartbreaking moment she broke down in tears in her dressing room during the 'Sweet Melody' video shoot.
Jesy told the publication: "We’d been in lockdown, and it was the first time I could have a break and be at home around people that I love. It was the happiest I’d ever felt and I didn’t realise that until I went back to work. I immediately became a different person.
“I had anxiety. Whenever we have a music video I put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to try and lose weight. I have a fear of looking back on the camera. If I don’t like what I see, I find it so hard to be in front of the camera and feel amazing and perform.
“I’d been in lockdown, and I’d put on a bit of weight but I didn’t care. And they said, ‘you’ve got a music video in a couple of weeks’ and I just panicked. I went on this extreme diet, with bloody shakes, and tried to eat as little as possible. On the day of the Sweet Melody video I had a panic attack on set because I didn’t look how I wanted to look and I found it so hard to just be happy and enjoy myself.
“There’s a scene in Sweet Melody I’m not in because that’s when I had a panic attack and broke down. I was like, ‘I just want to go home.’”
Jesy, who has previously opened up about her mental health in her award-winning documentary Odd One Out, has been praised by fans for speaking out and helping others in recent months.
The former X Factor winner announced she was leaving Little Mix back in December 2020, writing a heartfelt statement to her fans at the time.
She wrote: 'To all my Mixers, the past nine years in Little Mix has been the most incredible time of my life. We have achieved things I never thought possible. From winning our first Brit Award to our sold out shows at the O2.
'Making friends and fans all over the world I can't thank you all enough from the bottom of my heart for making me fee like the luckiest girl in the world. You have always been there to support and encourage me and I will never ever forget it.'
Admitting that being in Little Mix had recently 'taken a toll' on her mental health, Jesy added: 'The truth is recently being in the band has really taken a toll on my mental health. I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard.
'There comes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking care of ourselves rather than focusing on making other people happy, and I feel like now is the time to begin that process.
'So after much consideration and with a heavy heart, I'm announcing I'm leaving Little Mix.
'I need to spend some time with the people I love, doing things that make me happy.'
Speaking about what is next, Jesy then added: 'I'm ready to embark on a new chapter in my life - I'm not sure what it's going to look like right now, but I hope you'll still be there to support me.
'I want to say thank you to everyone involved in our journey. All the hard work and dedication that went into making us a success.
'To every single fan who came to see us in concert, who listened to our songs and sung their hearts out, sent me messages and supported me along the way I want you to know I love you all so much and I could never have done this without you and I appreciate it endlessly.
'Most of all I want to say thank you to Jade, Perrie and Leigh-Anne for creating some of the most amazing memories I'll never forget. I hope that you'll continue to fulfil all of your dreams and keep on making music that people love. Love Jesy x.' (sic)
Check out Little Mix's biggest collabs to date:
Little Mix and Missy Elliot - 'How Ya Doin'?
One year after being catapulted to fame on The X Factor, the Little Mix girls teamed up with American rapper Missy Elliott on the massive hit 'How Ya Doin'? in 2012.
Little Mix and Sean Paul - 'Hair'
He's worked with some of the biggest artists on the planet, so Little Mix couldn't wait to work with Sean Paul on their 2015 track 'Hair'.
Little Mix and Jason Derulo - 'Secret Love Song'
The girls also teamed up with the one and only Jason Derulo in 2015, dropping 'Secret Love Song'. It's since become the band's anthem for the LGBT community.
Little Mix and Charlie Puth - 'Oops'
Jade, Perrie, Leigh-Anne and Jesy worked with singer-songwriter Charlie Puth in 2016, releasing the amazing 'Oops'.
Little Mix and CNCO - 'Reggaetón Lento (Remix)'
In 2017, all three of the singles they released were collaborations! Little Mix and Latin American boy band CNCO worked together to release the super-catchy 'Reggaetón Lento (Remix)'. The track has since been a massive favourite with fans.
Little Mix and Stormzy - 'Power'
It was one of the biggest collabs of the year when Little Mix teamed up with Stormzy for their hit 'Power' in 2017. He later joined them on stage in London on one of their 'LM5 - The Tour' dates.
Little Mix and Machine Gun Kelly - 'No More Sad Songs'
'No More Sad Songs' has been a constant feature on Little Mix's set lists since the girls teamed up with Machine Gun Kelly in 2017.
Little Mix and Sharaya J - 'Strip'
Featuring on their 'LM5' album, 'Strip' was Little Mix's amazing female empowerment track with American rapper Sharaya J.
Little Mix and Cheat Codes - 'Only You'
Little Mix worked with American electronic music DJ trio consisting of KEVI, Trevor Dahl, and Matthew Russell in the Summer of 2018, dropping 'Only You'.
Little Mix and Nicki Minaj - 'Woman Like Me'
The girls enlisted the help from the one and only Nicki Minaj in 2018, releasing the amazing single 'Woman Like Me'. The collab, co-written by Nicki, Ed Sheeran, Jess Glynne and producer Steve Mac, reached Number 2 in the UK charts.
Little Mix and Ty Dolla $ign - 'Think About Us'
Little Mix teamed up with Ty Dolla $ign to release their first single of 2019! The girls dropped 'Think About Us' in February.
Little Mix and Nathan Dawe - 'No Time For Tears'
Little Mix worked with DJ Nathan Dawe on 'No Time For Tears', released on Friday 27th November 2020 - just a few weeks after releasing their sixth album 'Confetti'!
Little Mix and Saweetie - 'Confetti'
Little Mix's first single as a trio was a collaboration with Saweetie - 'Confetti' dropped on 30th April with an absolutely banging music video which featured the girls in dual roles as themselves AND male alter egos: Lenny, Pez and J-Dog. It also starred Bimini Bon Boulash, Tayce and A'Whora from RuPaul's Drag Race!
Little Mix, David Guetta and Galantis - 'Heartbreak Anthem'
Just one month after dropping 'Confetti', Little Mix teamed up with superstar DJs David Guetta AND Galantis on their massive single 'Heartbreak Anthem'.
Little Mix and Anne-Marie - 'Kiss My (Uh-Oh)'
After teasing it way back in 2020, July 2021 saw the release of Little Mix's hugely anticipated collab with the one and only Anne-Marie.
Featuring on Anne-Marie's second album 'Therapy', 'Kiss My (Uh Oh)' samples Lumidee's early 00's R&B classic 'Never Leave You'.
And the gals didn't stop there, releasing a 'Girl Power' remix of the track on 26th August 2021, featuring other huge names Becky Hill, Raye and Stefflon Don.
In recent months, Jesy has has been teasing her fans with the prospect of solo music, sharing a number of photos and videos from the recording studio!
Up until now however, nothing has been confirmed about the release of Jesy's solo music.
Now read:
Jesy Nelson teases first solo music after quitting Little Mix
Leigh-Anne Pinnock announces pregnancy with Andre Gray
QUIZ: Can you guess the Little Mix song from the emojis?