Little Mix announce Jesy Nelson is leaving the band after nine years together

The band – Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards – announced the news in a string of tweets.

Little Mix announce Jesy Nelson is leaving the band after nine year together

They said: “After an amazing 9 years together Jesy has made the decision to leave Little Mix. This is an incredibly sad time for all of us but we are fully supportive of Jesy.”

The band, who found fame on The X Factor, said: “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.

“We are still very much enjoying our Little Mix journey and the 3 of us are not ready for it to be over.

“We know that Jesy leaving the group is going to be really upsetting news for our fans. We love you guys so much and are so grateful for your loyalty and continued support of all of us.

“We’re looking forward to seeing so many of you on tour. Love always, Jade, Perrie and Leigh-Anne xxx.”

The news follows an announcement in November that Nelson, 29, would be taking an ‘extended’ break for private medical reasons.

Nelson had previously been absent from the final of Little Mix’s BBC One talent show The Search and also a performance at the MTV European Music Awards.

Little Mix formed on The X Factor in 2011 and have become one of the country’s biggest-selling girl bands.

They auditioned on the ITV singing show as soloists, but were then placed into a group by the judges in the show’s later stages.

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