Jesy Nelson (born 14 June 1991) is an English singer. She rose to prominence as a member of the British girl group, Little Mix, formed on the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011, and became the first group to win the competition. Since their debut, the group has sold over 60 million records worldwide, placing them in the top 5 of the best-selling girl groups of all time. In 2019, Nelson presented a BBC Three documentary based on her experiences with body image and online bullying titled Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out, which won the Factual Entertainment Award at the 25th National Television Awards. In December 2020, she left the group and was later signed to Polydor Records as a solo artist.
Early life
She was raised in Romford, East London to parents John Nelson, a businessman, and Janis Nelson, a Police Community Support Officer. Her parents separated when she was five. She is the second youngest of four children with an older sister Jade, an older brother Jonathan and a younger brother Joseph.
Nelson attended Jo Richardson Community School and Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College in Hornchurch, London. She also attended the Sylvia Young and Yvonne Rhodes Theatre Schools. One of her classmates at the school was Rita Ora. Prior to auditioning for The X Factor, Nelson worked as a barmaid in Dagenham. In 2020, Nelson said that as a child, she had small roles as an extra in About a Boy (2002) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).
Career
Her first audition was “Bust Your Windows” by Jazmine Sullivan, and successfully auditioned as a soloist for the eighth series of the UK version of The X Factor in front of judges Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos, and Kelly Rowland, but failed the first challenge of the “bootcamp” section. Nelson and Perrie Edwards were put in a group called “Faux Pas” while Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock were to be put in a group named “Orion”. Both groups, however, failed to progress. Both groups failed to make it through to the next stage. A later decision by the judges recalled two members from each group to form the four-piece group Rhythmix, sending them through to the “judges’ houses” section. They eventually reached the live shows and were mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos. On 28 October 2011, it was announced that the group’s new name would be Little Mix. On 11 December 2011, Little Mix was announced as the winner, the first group to win the program.
After winning the show, Little Mix signed a record deal with Syco Music, owned by Simon Cowell. Since joining Little Mix, Nelson has faced cyber-bullying and struggled to cope during her time on The X Factor. Nelson released six albums with the group; DNA (2012), Salute (2013), Get Weird (2015), Glory Days (2016), LM5 (2018), and Confetti (2020) The last of which was released a month before she left the group. In December 2020, she announced her departure from the group due to prolonged issues with her mental health. She said: “I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard.” In May 2021, she announced that she had signed a record deal with Polydor Records and that she is releasing solo music later in the year.
Personal life
Nelson has said that being bullied at school may have contributed to her suffering from stress-induced alopecia as a teenager. In her BBC documentary Odd One Out, Nelson was vocal about her struggle with body image. She said she would starve herself before TV performances or video shoots, then later binge eat. She said that abuse from online trolls on Twitter drove her to attempt suicide in 2013, stating: “I felt that I physically couldn’t tolerate the pain anymore.”
Nelson had a 10-month relationship with Diversity member Jordan Banjo which ended in 2013. In 2014, Nelson began dating Rixton lead singer, Jake Roche. The couple became engaged on 19 July 2015 but broke up in November 2016. She had a brief relationship with Chris Clark in 2017, followed by a 16-month relationship with musician Harry James that ended in November 2018. In January 2019, Nelson began dating Love Island contestant Chris Hughes. On the one-year anniversary of their relationship in January 2020, she said: “I can honestly say I’ve never been more in love and happy in all my life.” In April 2020, Nelson and Hughes broke up due to personal reasons. Four months later, she announced that she was in a relationship with actor Sean Sagar.
How much is Jesy Nelson worth? The Little Mix star
Jesy is reportedly worth around £5.8 million, according to Wealthy Persons.
During her Odd One Out documentary in September 2019, the star said she often visits the spare room of her house where she keeps all of her awards and Little Mix memorabilia to remind herself of her success whenever she’s feeling down.
JESY ANNOUNCES SHE’S LEAVING LITTLE MIX
Jesy took to Instagram to reveal the news that she would be leaving Little Mix. She posted a lengthy statement announcing the news to her followers and explained her reasoning for leaving the hugely successful girl band.
She first addressed her time in Little Mix, calling the past nine years “the most incredible time of my life” before listing some of their biggest achievements such as winning their first Brit award to selling out the O2 Arena.
“Making friends and fans all over the world, I can’t thank you all enough from the bottom of my heart for making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world,” she said.
Why did Jesy Nelson leave Little Mix?
Jesy has left Little Mix, as of December 14.
On November 17, 2020, it was announced that Jesy is taking “extended time-off” from Little Mix for private medical reasons.
But that proposed break has become a permanent change for the band.
She wrote on Instagram: “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.”
The singer had missed several appearances including the final of their BBC1 show The Search and their hosting slot at the MTV European Music Awards, sparking speculation.
Who is Jesy Nelson’s ex-boyfriend Sean Sagar?
Jesy is dating actor Sean Sagar.
He is best known for starring in Our Girl alongside Michelle Keegan.
Reports suggest that they grew close after Jesy’s break-up with Chris back in April 2020.
However, it was reported that the pair have officially called time on their romance after nine months in January 2021.
A friend said: “Jesy and Sean have decided to take some time apart. It’s such a shame as they made a lovely couple but recently things haven’t been right between them.
“Jesy just left Little Mix and is working hard on herself right now — she has to put herself first.
“Lockdown has made it really difficult too, so for now Jesy and Sean are taking time apart from each other.”
Why did Chris Hughes and Jesy Nelson split?
On April 9, 2020, The Sun exclusively revealed how the couple had split after 16 months together.
They called it quits while isolating in separate homes amid the coronavirus lockdown.
A source told The Sun Online: “Jesy and Chris split up a couple of weeks ago.
“It was all very amicable and they’re still really good friends.
“Jesy rang Chris and led the conversation about their relationship and both agreed that it felt like it had run its course – they’re both absolutely fine.”
When was Jesy Nelson on The X Factor?
Jesy shot to fame on The X Factor in 2011.
She appeared as a solo star, but the show put her together with the other Little Mix girls to form a band.
Together with Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jade Thirwall, they went on to win the show.
