Jesy Nelson Has Left Little Mix After 9 Years

And so four become three... Jesy Nelson has confirmed what "Mixers" (Little Mix megafans) suspected for some time: that she is leaving the group after nine years. “After much consideration and with a heavy heart, I’m announcing I’m leaving Little Mix,” she revealed in an emotional Instagram post.

“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 expectations very hard,” she explained. “There comes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking care of ourselves rather than focussing on making other people happy, and I feel like now is the time to begin that process.”

“I need to spend some 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,” she added.

Her statement included a special shout out to her bandmates – Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock – who she thanked for “creating some of the most amazing memories I’ll never forget.”

“I hope that you’ll continue to fulfill all of your dreams and keep on making music that people love,” she added.

The post is reminiscent of a letter she wrote to her 20-year-old self for Bustle's Noise Maker Issue in June 2019. In it, she spoke about standing up to industry execs and learning that self-love isn't always simple.

The band will continue as trio, and shared a statement on their Instagram page to that effect. “We are still very much enjoying our Little Mix journey and the 3 of us are not ready for it to be over,” it read. “This is an incredibly sad time for all of us but we are fully supportive of Jesy. 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.”

For eagle-eyed fans, the writing was on the wall. One fan noticed that there were only three signatures on their signed copy of new album Confetti, and that Jesy’s signature was missing.

Fan theories pointed out how Jesy looked sad in a now-deleted promo video for the band’s latest album, Confetti. Then, the 29-year-old was noticeably missing from the final episode of BBC’S Little Mix: The Search after she was forced to pull out due to illness. At the time, a spokesperson for the band said that Nelson was be taking an extended break due to "private medical reasons." She also cancelled her appearance as host alongside the rest of the group at the MTV European Music Awards, Jonathan Ross Show, Children In Need, and, most recently, the band's Strictly performance on Dec. 13.

Little Mix – sans Nelson – is set to embark on their Confetti arena tour in 2021.