Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock reveals the band had therapy after Jesy Nelson quit the group

Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock has disclosed that the remaining band members sought therapy after Jesy Nelson's departure from the group. Jesy's exit, which occurred in December 2020, was described as "traumatic" by Leigh-Anne, as the group had always felt like a close-knit family.

Little Mix, originally formed on the X Factor in 2011, had achieved remarkable success over the years, including five UK number 1 hits, sold-out arena performances, and millions of records sold. However, Jesy's sudden departure triggered online conflicts among fans and reports of internal disputes among the members.

In her autobiography titled "Believe," Leigh-Anne shared her thoughts on the situation, saying, "It was a complex and painful thing to come to terms with. We all felt it, that pain and sadness. The whole thing felt like a weird break-up, and I wasn't prepared for it." She added, "I wasn't prepared for the intensity of those emotions. The whole thing was abrupt and sad, and then it was messy, which made it even more painful."


A month before leaving the group, Jesy had withdrawn from the live final of their BBC contest show, "Little Mix: The Search," citing mental health struggles as the reason. She explained, "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. There comes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking care of ourselves rather than focusing on making other people happy."

Reports suggested that Leigh-Anne, Jade, and Perrie learned about Jesy's decision through their lawyers and had been blocked by Jesy on social media. Leigh-Anne revealed, "I've been to therapy during the course of my career. When we decided to pause Little Mix, I felt compelled to go back. We all did."

She emphasized the profound impact of losing a band member, stating, "We were a family, the four of us were like sisters, and we had been that way since we were teenagers, so it's not an over-exaggeration to say that losing a member was a traumatic experience. When you have felt so much love and support with another person over such a long time and then that suddenly disappears, you never fully get to understand why it hurts."

Therapy played a crucial role in helping Leigh-Anne and her bandmates process their emotions and manage the aftermath of Jesy's departure. Leigh-Anne concluded, "All of that messiness is now so far behind me that it's not even worth commenting on. We have moved forwards into something even brighter and stronger."