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Jesy Nelson opens up about leaving Little Mix and reaching breaking point with Sweet Melody video

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Little Mix member, Jesy Nelson.
Little Mix member, Jesy Nelson.
Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty
  • In her first interview since leaving Little Mix, Jesy Nelson spoke to Cosmopolitan about the moment she reached her breaking point in the group.
  • The singer opened up about breaking down on the set of Sweet Melody, and the fear she felt before filming a music video.
  • Now working on building a solo career, Jesy also opened up about her time in studio and what the future holds. 


In her first interview since leaving Little Mix, Jesy Nelson opened up about the moment she reached her breaking point in the group.

In December 2020, the announcement came that Jesy would be leaving the popular girl group after nine years together. The singer made the decision to focus on her mental wellbeing after suffering years of public scrutiny aimed at her weight.

Now, in an interview with Cosmopolitan UK, Jesy has opened up why she decided to leave Little Mix, as well as her plans for the future.

"I didn't know I could feel this happy," an emotional Jesy told the publication. "I thought when I was in the group that it was just normal to feel that way. And because I'd felt like that for 10 years, I just thought, "This is life." Since I've left, I feel free," she continued. 

The singer now rates her confidence level at a "solid 8.5" out of 10. Saying that before she got into the band, she was at a nine or 10, and once she entered the band, she was at a zero.

It was with the Sweet Melody music video that Jesy said she finally reached her breaking point. 

"Whenever we had 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," she explained.

Jesy took her downtime during lockdown as a moment to just be free and enjoy herself. "I'd put on a bit of weight but I didn't care," she said. But once she got the call about the Sweet Melody music video, she started to panic again. 

"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.' I was sobbing in the dressing room. Someone really close to me said, 'This has got to stop. You can't keep doing this to yourself. You're going to end up where you were before.'"

In February 2021, after some time off, Jesy hinted that she was back in studio making new music. 

"I'm in the studio just having fun. I loved the music I made with Little Mix, but it wasn't the kind of music I listen to. It just feels so nice to be making music that I love. I don't know when I'm going to bring it out. I feel really content and happy. It's the weirdest, best feeling in the world," she confirmed to Cosmo.

Read the full interview here

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