Jesy Nelson has hit out at the ‘disgusting’ coverage of her comments about Little Mix, saying women in her industry are constantly being pitted against one another.
Nelson hit headlines yesterday after revealing she hadn’t spoken to her former bandmates in two years, but stressed she only wished them the ‘best’ as they all continued their solo careers.
“Being in a girl band, you are a machine going all the time,” she told The Sun.
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"You don't have a minute to breathe and take time out if you just need space. That was something I struggled with."
Nelson said she ‘really, really struggled’ with ‘constantly being trolled’, saying she had ongoing mental health issues while in the band – which was what prompted her departure.
"I don’t have any regrets because I had to do what was right for me and I will always cherish the memories I had in Little Mix,” she continued.
“So no, we haven’t talked since then. Never say never, but I honestly wish them the best on their solo journeys now, which is so exciting.
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“[…] I am rooting for all of them. I honestly do wish them all the success as they are all crazy talented.”
But she’s frustrated that this was the news that hit headlines – rather than her new single ‘Bad Thing’, the video for which saw her partner with charity Women’s Aid to raise awareness of domestic violence.
In a series of Instagram Stories, Nelson said: “Today I woke up to about twenty-f**king-five articles about me and how I haven’t spoken to Little Mix in two years, and the ‘ongoing feud’.”
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“What’s really s**t about this f**king music industry is that, when you’re going in to do an interview and you think you’re gonna be talking about your music and the video, and actually talking about something that’s really important to you that went on in your life and has happened to women around you – domestic violence, which is what my music video is about – it's really s**t to then obviously get asked a question about Little Mix.
“It’s inevitable, I’m gonna get asked a question. I was in Little Mix for 10 years, so naturally people are gonna be curious about are we still speaking.”
Nelson reiterated that they hadn’t spoken for two years, but that she wished them ‘all the best’ as it was ‘such an exciting time’ for them all.
Nelson said headlines suggesting they were locked in a bitter ‘ongoing feud’ were ‘f**king bulls**t’, saying women ‘just get pitted up against each other 24/7 in music’.
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“And I hate it,"she added.
“I think it’s disgusting.”
Holding back tears, Nelson continued: “What I want to bring it back to is the fact that I made a song really close to my heart and a video that really means something to me.
“And I wanted to raise awareness about domestic violence. It’s such an important topic that I don’t think is spoken about enough.”
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Elsewhere in her original interview, Nelson said it was not her place to say who the video was based on, but that it was about many women in her life who have suffered from abusive relationships.
"And that's why it felt so right for me to make this song and make this music video because I've had to witness it first hand and it is horrendous," she continued.
“To watch people that you love go through it, is awful. It was so important for me to raise awareness about this because I don't think it's spoken about enough, and the amount of messages I've had since the video launched just shows how horribly common this issue is.
“Since working with Women's Aid, they told me that it takes on average over six years for women to leave an abusive relationship.
"I didn't know how far to push it until speaking to Women's Aid about it because I knew it was going to be triggering to a lot of people that have suffered domestic violence."
If you’ve been affected by this story, you can call Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline at 0808 2000 247, or talk to them online here.
Topics: Jesy Nelson, Little Mix, Music, Celebrity
Jess Hardiman