Jesy Nelson explains heartbreaking real reason she left Little Mix in new docuseries

13 February 2026, 11:13 | Updated: 13 February 2026, 11:14

Jesy Nelson explains real reason why she left Little Mix in new docuseries. Picture: Getty, Prime

By Capital FM

In Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix, Jesy says that she tried to take her own life shortly before leaving the group.

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Jesy Nelson has opened up about the real reason she left Little Mix and how hard her final days in the girl group were.

In December 2020, Jesy Nelson shocked Little Mix fans by announcing that she had left the band. In a statement, she explained: "Being in the band has really taken a toll on my mental health." Little Mix also released a statement saying that they were "incredibly sad" to see Jesy go but "fully supportive" of her decision to prioritise her well-being.

Now, Jesy has discussed quitting the group in depth in her brand new docuseries Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix. In the show, Jesy talks candidly about the fact that she tried to take her own life shortly before leaving the band.

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In Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix, it's revealed that Jesy overdosed during the period where Little Mix were hosting their talent show Little Mix: The Search. At the time, it was announced that Jesy couldn't attend the finale due to an illness. We now know that she was in hospital recovering from an overdose at the time.

In the show, Jesy's mum Jan says that she could sense that something was wrong with Jesy: "For a few days before, she had just been really down and not talking much. She wanted to be on her own quite a lot. I got a gut feeling that something wasn’t right. I kept ringing and ringing, but there was no answer."

Jan then added that it was clear something was wrong when she did get hold of Jesy: "She eventually answered the phone and the way she talking was really slurry. I heard the phone drop and didn’t hear anything else - I knew she’d done something."

Discussing her decision to leave Little Mix, Jesy said: "I was so sad. I was so down. I knew after coming out of hospital that I mentally couldn’t do it anymore."

Little Mix in 2019 before Jesy Nelson left the group. Picture: Getty

Jesy then explained that she sought legal advice but her lawyer told Jade, Leigh-Anne and Perrie she was leaving the group before she could: "I think they felt really hurt about that and it should never have played out like that. I didn’t get my opportunity to explain why I couldn’t do this any more. I feel mad that that was taken away from me."

She continued: "Eventually there was a phone call. It was really awkward and so weird. It was like talking to strangers. It was the most uncomfortable phone call of my life. No one knew what to say. That’s the last time I ever spoke to them as a group."

Reflecting on the split, Jesy said: “We were genuinely like sisters and I think that is what’s so sad about this whole thing.“ As the years have gone on I see both sides. I see why they would be sad and hurt."