Jesy Is Officially Leaving Little Mix After Almost a Decade & Here’s the Reason Why

It’s official. Little Mix is down from four to three. So why did Jesy leave Little Mix? In November, Little Mix announced in a tweet that Jesy was taking an “extended break” from the band after she missed the finale of the girl group’s BBC reality competition series, Little Mix The Search.

“Jesy is having extended time off from Little Mix for private medical reasons,” Little Mix tweeted at the time. “We will not be issuing any further comment currently and ask media to please respect her privacy at this time.”

Before the finale of Little Mix The Search, a rep for the band, which was formed on The X Factor in 2011, announced that Jesy woud be skipping both Little Mix The Search and the MTV European Music Awards. “Jesy is unwell and will not be appearing on tonight’s final of Little Mix The Search,” the rep said. “She will also not be hosting or performing at tomorrow’s MTV EMAs.”

Since then, Little Mix’s remaining three members—Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock—have been performing and doing interviews as a trio. On Monday, December 14, Jesy announced that she’s officially left Little Mix after nine years with the band. In her post, Jesy revealed that she decided to quit the group for her mental health. “The past nine years in Little Mix has been the most incredible time of my life…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…so after much consideration and with a heavy heart, I’m announcing I’m leaving Little Mix,” she wrote.

Source: Instagram Source: Instagram

In their own statement on their Twitter and Instagram, Little Mix also revealed that Jesy is no longer a member of Little Mix but the band still plans to continue as a threesome. “After an amazing 9 years together Jesy has made the decision to leave Little Mix. This is an incredibly sad time for all of us but we are fully supportive of Jesy,” the band wrote. “We know that Jesy leaving the group is going to be really upsetting news for our fans. We love you guys so much and are so grateful for your loyalty and continued support of all of us.”

In her Instagram post, Jesy also confirmed that there’s no drama between her and her former members. “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 fulfill all of your dreams and keep on making music that people love.”

In her 2019 documentary, Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out, Jesy revealed that she considered suicide due to the online bullying she faced as a Little Mix member. “I wasn’t just known as one of the singers in Little Mix, I was known as ‘the fat, ugly one,’” she said.

She continued, “The only way I can describe the pain is like constantly being heartbroken.” Jesy went on to note that she took “as many tablets as I could” to numb the pain.

In the documentary, Jesy also revealed that she’s come out of her depression. “I’m a completely different person now, I’m a lot happier and mentally stronger,” she said. “I really wanted to make this because, as much as it was a horrible experience for me, I want to make something good come out of it.”