Jesy Nelson's Mother Saved Her Life After Overdose in Little Mix Final Days
Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson has bravely revealed for the first time that she attempted to take her own life and required emergency hospitalisation during the period leading up to her departure from the globally successful girl group. The 34-year-old singer and mother-of-two shares these harrowing details in emotional scenes from her new Prime Video documentary series titled Life After Little Mix.
Frantic Mother's Intervention Prevents Tragedy
The depression that engulfed Nelson could have proved fatal had her beloved mother Janice not raised the alarm and summoned an ambulance after discovering her daughter unconscious following an overdose. Speaking about the traumatic incident, Nelson's concerned mother Janice recalls the terrifying moments that unfolded.
"For several days beforehand she had been really down and not communicating much," Janice explains. "I believe she was encountering horrible things written about her online again, and she simply wanted to be alone quite frequently. I developed a gut feeling that something wasn't right. So I kept calling repeatedly, and then I wasn't receiving any answer. She eventually answered the phone, but she was speaking really slurred, and I could just hear the phone drop, and then I didn't hear anything else. I knew she had done something. An ambulance was called immediately. We went to the hospital with her."
Breaking Point and Band Tensions
Nelson describes feeling completely broken during her final moments with the band, confessing she became what she calls a "miserable bitch" to work with at times as the immense pressure of pop stardom overwhelmed her and panic attacks resurfaced. When she attempted to communicate her struggles to bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards, and Jade Thirlwall, she felt she received insufficient sympathy at that critical juncture.
"I had been in lockdown, experienced that happiness, and then I became swarmed with this rush of anxiety and insecurities," Nelson reveals. "When I was at home during lockdown, I felt safe and secure, and then I started having panic attacks again. Listen, everyone will have their version of this story. I can only speak my truth about how I felt in this situation. I basically just sat everyone down and explained how I was feeling. I just felt like nobody cared."
Nelson continues with painful recollection: "I remember one of the responses being like 'are you done now? Is that it?'. And I was like, okay, she said 'Can I go now?'. I just remember feeling completely stunned. That response made me feel really alone and like there was just no point to continuing."
Hospital Recovery and Band Exit
Nelson was absent from the final episode of Little Mix's television show The Search as she was hospitalised recovering following her mother's frantic emergency calls. Looking back on that period, Nelson reflects: "I was just so profoundly sad and down. I knew from that moment of leaving hospital that I mentally couldn't continue. Before I could even have a discussion with the girls...the lawyer informed them I wanted to leave. I think they felt really hurt by that, and it should never have unfolded like that. I feel angry that opportunity was taken away from me, and I didn't get my chance to explain why I couldn't do this anymore."
Another Member's Earlier Departure Plans
In a candid and extraordinary fifth episode of her documentary series, Nelson discloses additional specific details about her final years with the band. One significant catalyst for her own exit was the revelation that another band member had wanted to walk away first, more than a year before Nelson's departure.
"2019 represented really happy times," Nelson recalls. "I felt we were at the absolute peak of our career. To me, everyone seemed in a good place. But actually, I was mistaken. I remember we got called in for a meeting. When we are summoned for a meeting, it's either going to be something amazing or something really bad, and I just had this gut feeling it wasn't going to be positive."
Nelson continues: "One of the girls had decided that she didn't want to be in the band anymore. I just remember feeling like my whole world had completely fallen apart. It was just a really sad day, and me and Jade really cried." Nelson states it would be unfair to identify which member made this announcement since it remains outside the public domain, but she admits feeling "devastated" while also acknowledging she wasn't particularly good at offering her friend support and understanding during that difficult period.
Lockdown Changed Everything
Following that meeting, the group and management formulated plans for a major final tour, and Nelson began preparing mentally for the band's conclusion after a decade together. However, as they geared up for what was intended as a final hurrah, the country entered coronavirus lockdown, which prolonged everything unexpectedly.
Nelson admits this is when circumstances became "messy," and for her part, she actually enjoyed lockdown as it provided reduced stress and increased freedom. Quarantined with close friend Charlotte Driver, she experienced "no cares or worries." This meant when the time arrived to return to work with Little Mix, she didn't want to go back, and her previous issues with anxiety and stress re-emerged powerfully.
Aftermath and Moving Forward
Nelson has not seen her former bandmates together since her departure, with just one "awkward" phone call to confirm her exit. Prior to this, management informed Nelson the girls would require a therapist present if they met together, which shocked the singer who had just emerged from hospital.
"I had just come out of hospital and this was the time I needed support most," Nelson expresses. "I just didn't feel like they were my sisters anymore. It's been five years now, and every time I think about it, I wonder 'was it them, or was it the management?'. I will never know that answer because we never got to have that crucial conversation."
On a more positive development, Nelson notes they have been in contact since she became pregnant, which she describes as "lovely" and emotionally moving. She hopes that speaking out openly will now finally put the matter of her exit "to bed" permanently.
Jesy Nelson's best friend Charlotte Driver reflects on that dark period: "That was when she reached absolute rock bottom. This whole wave of sadness came over me, and I just sat there thinking, 'This isn't the first time that you've done this'." Nelson's mother Janice adds about the hospital aftermath: "I just kept cuddling her and remember saying 'that's it now, that's it. No more. You've got to stop doing what's making you unhappy'."
In November 2020, Nelson announced she was taking an "extended" break from Little Mix for "private medical reasons," coming after she missed both the final of the group's BBC One talent show The Search and their hosting of the MTV European Music Awards. She then released an additional statement in December confirming her permanent departure, explaining it had "taken a toll on my mental health."
At that time, her bandmates stated it was "an incredibly sad time for all of us but we are fully supportive of Jesy," adding: "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." Following Nelson's departure, the band continued as a trio for The Confetti tour in 2022 before entering hiatus and pursuing solo careers.
