Jesy Nelson reflects on her suicide attempt and reveals her mother begged her to quit Little Mix in band’s early days

Singer was hospitalised after attempting to take her own life in 2013

Jesy Nelson has reflected on her suicide attempt and said her mother begged her to quit Little Mix to protect her mental health.

The singer, 30, opened up on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast. Speaking about her attempt to take her own life, she said: “I went into hospital and then I had a music video like a week after...

“And obviously my mum found out and she was distraught and she was outright like, ‘This is it, you’re not doing this anymore.’ Because my mum’s the kind of mum that’s like, ‘Jes, we couldn’t give a s*** what you do as long as you’re happy. That’s all I care about.’

“So she was like, ‘No. This isn’t happening anymore. I’m putting my foot down and you’re coming out of this.’

“I didn’t know what to do at the time because it was the very early stages of Little Mix.”

Nelson was admitted to hospital after a suicide attempt in November 2013, which she has since said was due to the abuse she was receiving on social media.

Seven years later, Nelson, who joined the group after they formed on The X Factor in 2011, announced she had quit Little Mix in December 2020.

She is due to release her first solo single “Boyz” in the coming weeks.

In a recent interview, Nelson said that her decision to leave the group had not been a solo one and that her former bandmates – Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall – had agreed with her exit.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.