Jade Thirlwall has candidly spoken about the emotional impact Jesy Nelson’s departure from Little Mix had on her. Jesy, 33, left the group in December 2020 after nine years, citing the unbearable pressure of being in a girl band.
Jade, alongside Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards, continued as a trio for another year before taking a break. More than four years later, Jade, now 32, confessed on The Louis Theroux podcast that she is “still getting over” what was a “stressful time”.
She found the suddenness of Jesy’s exit particularly hard to come to terms with, lamenting the lack of a proper discussion among the band members. The popstar said: “I think that’s why I struggled with it because we didn’t all get a chance to just sit together, like we’ve done so for so many years, to just hash it out.
“I just remember it was so hazy because all of us, all four of us I think, were traumatised by that whole experience.”
To cope with the ordeal, both group and individual therapy were sought. Despite no longer being in contact with Jesy, Jade emphasised there’s “no hate” towards her and holds no grudge against her decision to leave, reports the Mirror.
She said: “If she needed to do that for herself, no matter what happened behind-the-scenes, or you know, anything that unfolded, I’ll never discredit or invalidate the struggles that she had in the group.
“Particularly at the beginning, she really did suffer the most in terms of like trolling, the press being really mean. And it really did some lasting damage.”
Following four years as a solo artist, Jesy Nelson is now gearing up for an exciting new journey into motherhood. Just last week, the 33 year old singer excitedly revealed she’s “eating for three” sharing a snap of her growing baby bump with her boyfriend, Zion Foster.
A source close to Jesy has spilled to Heat Magazine that becoming a mum could be the olive branch to mend fences with her former bandmates, two of whom are already parents. Leigh-Anne Pinnock became a mum to twin girls in 2021, shortly before Perrie Edwards welcomed her son, Axel.
The insider shared: “It’s crazy that she’s having twins just like Leigh-Anne did. Jesy has been wanting to reach out and ask her for tips and advice.”
They added that Jesy hopes this will bridge any gaps: “She’s hoping that, when she does, they can put any past drama behind them and start afresh.”