- Jesy Nelson just announced that she's leaving Little Mix.
- In a statement posted to her Instagram, she wrote that she's taking time away from the group to focus on her mental health.
It's a sad and unexpected day for Mixers—almost a decade after Little Mix's fateful X Factor formation in 2011, Jesy Nelson revealed that she's leaving the band after years of making music with her fellow group mates, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jade Thirlwall.
Jesy made the announcement to her 7.3 million Instagram followers in a heartfelt letter and shared that she's stepping away from the spotlight so she can take better care of herself, focus on her mental health, and do what makes her truly happy.
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 enough from the bottom of my heart for making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. You have always been there to support and encourage me and I will never forget it. 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. 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 hat 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, 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'l continue to fulfill all of your dreams and keep on making music that people love.
Love Jesy x
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Following Jesy's statement, the rest of the group hopped on Twitter to show their support for her and clarify what this means for the future of Little Mix.
They wrote:
After an amazing nine 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.
We love her very much and agree that it is so important that she does what is right for her mental health and well-being. We are still very much enjoying our Little Mix journey and the three of us are not ready for it to be over.
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.
We’re looking forward to seeing so many of you on tour. Love always, Jade, Perrie, and Leigh-Anne xxx
Jesy's departure comes a month after a rep for Little Mix reported that she'd be taking extended time off from the band for "private medical reasons."
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This article originally appeared on Cosmopolitan.com. Minor edits have been made by the Cosmo.ph editors.
