LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — Singer Jesy Nelson, one of the founding members of the British girl-group Little Mix, announced that she’s stepping back from her role with the singing quartet to focus on her mental health.
The group, which formed in 2011, announced Nelson’s departure on social media, writing: “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,” a statement read. “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.”
In a separate statement posted to her own social media, Nelson discussed her reasons for exiting the group.
“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 the girl group and living up to expectations very hard,” she wrote.
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Little Mix was formed in 2011 during the 8th season of the British televised talent show The X Factor and became the first group to win the competition. They signed with Simon Cowell’s Syco Records and scored their first major hit with a cover of Damien Rice’s “Cannonball” as their winner’s single, which debuted at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart.
Since then, they have earned three more number one singles and each of their six albums have peaked in the top five of the UK Albums Chart, with aggregate sales of more than 50 million.
