Pressing pause. Little Mix member Jesy Nelson will be stepping back from the girl group due to her health, Us Weekly can confirm.
“Jesy is having extended time off from Little Mix for private medical reasons,” a spokesperson for the group told Us in a statement on Tuesday, November 17. “We will not be issuing any further comment currently and ask media to please respect her privacy at this time.”
The news came after Nelson, 29, missed several band appearances earlier this month. The Romford, England, native was noticeably absent from the finale of the group’s BBC1 show, The Search, on November 7.
“Jesy is unwell and will not be appearing on tonight’s final of Little Mix The Search,” a spokesperson for the British musicians said in a statement at the time.
She also opted out of hosting the MTV European Music Awards on November 8 alongside bandmates Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall.
Nelson’s step back came weeks after the female group released their album Confetti on November 6.
“#Confetti is OUT NOW 🎉,” the band’s official Instagram page read at the time. “We worked so hard on this album so we hope you love it as much as we do.”
Nelson, for her part, has not posted on her Instagram since late October when she shared her Halloween costume with her fans.
Last year, Nelson opened up about her depression and past suicide attempt in the September 2019 documentary Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out.
The singer reflected on her time on The X Factor in 2011, which is what helped launch Little Mix’s career. She opened up about the hate she received from strangers and online trolls over her appearance while competing on the reality show.
“I wasn’t just known as one of the singers in Little Mix, I was known as ‘the fat, ugly one,’” she revealed in the documentary.
She considered suicide two years later after the online bullying and depression became so severe.
“The only way I can describe the pain is like constantly being heartbroken,” she said, noting that she did take “as many tablets as I could” one day but came out the other side.
“I’m a completely different person now, I’m a lot happier and mentally stronger,” Nelson explained in the film. “I really wanted to make this because, as much as it was a horrible experience for me, I want to make something good come out of it.”
Listen to Us Weekly’s Hot Hollywood as each week the editors of Us break down the hottest entertainment news stories!