Jesy Nelson's mother, Janice White, has revealed she regrets letting her daughter take part in the X Factor, which she subsequently won with the rest of her Little Mix bandmates in 2011. Opening up life post the ITV show in new BBC Three documentary Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out, Janice confessed she "lost her daughter to social media". She explained: "I always say I wish it was back to normal. I wish I could have life as it was and have my funny little Jes back."
Jesy Nelson with her mum Janice White
The revelation comes shortly after Jesy, 28, revealed that she tried to take her own life as a result of online bullying. "I am so proud and when I watch her on stage I get excited," her mum added. "I'm the loudest cheerer in the crowd. But as much as I love all that, and people must think how you can say that, if I could have my Jes back as she was before I’d change it like that. Not have the X Factor or any of that. Because I miss her. I just kind of feel like I’ve lost Jess to social media. Addicted to what people are saying."
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In the documentary, Jesy confided 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 admitted that she became "obsessed" with reading negative comments about herself. "I had a routine of waking up, going on Twitter, searching for the worst things I could about myself," she said. "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 shared.
You can watch Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 12 September.
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