The end of an era. Jesy Nelson is officially exiting Little Mix after nine years.
The U.K.-based girl group announced the upsetting news via Twitter on Monday, December 14. “After an amazing 9 years together, Jesy has made the decision to leave Little Mix,” the band’s statement read. “This is an incredibly sad time for all of us but we are fully supportive of Jesy.”
Little Mix continued, “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 3 of us are not ready for it to be over.”
The remaining three ladies, Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, acknowledged how “really upsetting” this news would be for longtime 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,” the statement concluded.
Nelson, 29, also posted a message about her departure from Little Mix via Instagram. “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 the expectations very hard,” she explained. “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.”
The Romford, England, native added, “I need to spend 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.”
The “Black Magic” singer concluded her message by not only thanking her fans, but giving a special shout out to her former bandmates. “I hope that you’ll continue to fulfill all of your dreams and keep on making music that people love,” she wrote.
On December 17, she spoke out again, thanking her fans via her Instagram Story. “I just want to say thank you so much to everyone [sic] of you that has shown me so much love and support over the past few days,” she wrote. “Some of your messages have made me feel so emotional and I appreciate it so much. Love you all.”
Last month, Us Weekly confirmed that Nelson would be taking a hiatus from Little Mix. “Jesy is having extended time off from Little Mix for private medical reasons,” a spokesperson for the group told Us on November 17. “We will not be issuing any further comment currently and ask media to please respect her privacy at this time.”
Before the announcement was made, Nelson had missed multiple appearances with the group, including an opportunity to host the MTV European Music Awards on November 8 alongside her ex-bandmates.
Nelson joined Little Mix in 2011 while competing on the U.K. edition of The X Factor. After winning the competition, they went on to become a massive success internationally. The musical bunch are behind various hits such as “Wings” and “Shout Out to My Ex.”
