Is bullying tearing Little Mix apart?

In a candid interview last week, Jesy Nelson hinted at tension with her former bandmates when she refused to address their relationship, and admitted that being in Little Mix had “taken its toll” on her.

Days later, reports emerged that Jesy, 29, has “completely severed ties” with the three remaining members of the group – Perrie Edwards, 27, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 29, and Jade Thirlwall, 28 – since quitting the band in December.

And now, an insider tells Closer that unease seems to have filtered down to the remaining bandmates, too, with fears that bullying and the pressure of being in the public eye could drive them apart.

The source says, “Jesy’s confessions since leaving the band have created an uneasy air between them right now. The girls have faced years of online bullying and being pitted against each other, which can easily cause insecurities.

“While they all knew what Jesy went through and saw the turmoil she was in, having her vocalise it and say how much happier she is now has struck a chord. They’ve all been through down times, and this is making them address that head on.”

In her interview, Jesy opened up about being compared to her fellow band members for almost a decade, and how she no longer has to “worry” about pleasing others as she pursues a solo career.

She confessed, “I don’t have to worry about having a music video or doing an interview wearing an outfit that I don’t want to wear because three other girls want to wear it… I felt like I was coming into an environment, sometimes, where people didn’t want me to be there. Sometimes I wasn’t a positive energy because I was so down.”

She also admitted she was “jealous” of the other girls for being “happy” when shooting a music video last year, while she felt uncomfortable with her body after putting on a stone during lockdown.

It’s not the first time Jesy has spoken out about being unhappy in the group. In her 2019 documentary Odd One Out, she spoke about the impact of social media trolling and revealed that online bullying led her to attempt suicide.

Then, last November, she confessed that being in Little Mix left her struggling with her body image.

“Before we got in the group, I never looked at myself and thought, ‘I don’t like that’ – I don’t think any of us did,” she said. “I never thought, ‘Oh god, I’m fat’, and then we got in the industry, and we all started wanting to change things about ourselves.”

Jesy isn’t the only member of the band to struggle in this way. In 2019, Perrie spoke out about suffering with anxiety and panic attacks, and last week the remaining band members revealed they’d been going to group therapy sessions.

Leigh-Anne and Jade have also admitted things got heated between them all while they filmed their talent competition, Little Mix: The Search. Leigh-Anne revealed they “all have different tastes in music, so we were bound to disagree”, while Jade confessed, “Maybe I went off in a huff a couple of times.”

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And in a new BBC documentary called Race, Pop & Power, which airs this week, Leigh-Anne reveals her heartbreak at feeling “invisible” within the band, believing it’s because of her race.

In it, she says, “Sometimes I felt I was being treated differently from my bandmates because of the colour of my skin. Why do I feel invisible? The least favoured, the least desired. I want to know if it’s racism, or if it’s in my head?”

Although Leigh-Anne, Jade and Perrie have insisted they’re not ready “to call it a day yet”, they are pursuing their own projects, leading fans to speculate they may part ways.

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Perrie has a shoe line with Italian brand Superga, and has announced she is working on a secret project. Meanwhile, Jade is reportedly being lined up for presenting jobs after impressing BBC bosses on Little Mix: The Search.

Leigh-Anne is also in talks to present a new TV show, and last week she announced she’s expecting a baby with her fiancé, footballer Andre Gray.

The source adds, “The girls are thrilled for Leigh-Anne, but her pregnancy has also made them reassess their future.

“It’s going to change things and might force them to have a conversation over where to go next. They’ve been in the business a long time and they all want to have families, so it could be they take a break for that reason – and having that space may do them some good. They’ve had a great 10 years, but maybe it’s better to quit while they’re pals.”

Get the best celeb interviews in Closer magazine each week.