Jesy Nelson has revealed that she tried to take her own life as a result of online bullying. The 28-year-old Little Mix star spoke candidly about her ordeal in new BBC Three documentary, Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out. In it, she confides that she once took an overdose after cruel remarks about her appearance had made her so unhappy she "just wanted to die". The star also admits that she became "obsessed" with reading negative comments about herself.
Jesy pictured with her Little Mix bandmates
"I had a routine of waking up, going on Twitter, searching for the worst things I could about myself," she says. "I'd type in the search bar: 'Jesy fat' or 'Jesy ugly' and see what would come up. Sometimes I didn’t even need to do that, I'd just write 'Jesy' and then I'd see all the horrible things. Everyone told me to ignore it – but it was like an addiction."
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Jesy also admits that she would starve herself before TV performances and then binge eat later. Her lowest point came when Little Mix returned to the X Factor in 2013 and Jesy was again taunted for her appearance. It was then she attempted suicide. "I felt that I physically couldn’t tolerate the pain anymore," she admits.
The singer is dating Love Island's Chris Hughes
The turning point came in February 2014, when Little Mix were on tour in North America, opening for Demi Lovato. One day on the bus, the dancers pulled Jesy aside and told her she had to quit Twitter. "It was a long hard process, because I didn’t want to help myself," the star recalls. "But it wasn't until I deleted Twitter that everything changed for me and I slowly started to feel normal again."
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Jesy's boyfriend, Love Island 2018 star Chris Hughes, has shared his pride for Jesy following her candid confession. Taking to Instagram, Chris wrote: "Well done Jess, you're an amazing girl, you should forever be proud of yourself and all you’ve come through and achieved."
You can watch Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 12 September.