Little Mix’s fellow X Factor winners say Jesy Nelson’s decision to quit could have ‘saved her life’

Former champions called it a ‘smart personal move’

Little Mix’s fellow X Factor winners have said that Jesy Nelson’s decision to quit could have “saved her life”.

Earlier this month, Nelson announced her departure in a statement that said pop stardom had taken a toll on her mental health since the band won the talent show in 2013.

The singer was widely praised for speaking out, with her former band mates – Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards – sending their support.

Rak-Su, who won The X Factor in 2017, have commented on Nelson’s decision, talking to Metro.co.uk about the “pressure” of fame.

Bandmember Myles Stephenson, who appeared on 2019’s edition of I’m a Celebrity, said: “We all know that she’s gone through drama with people, obviously trolling and social media so I think she made a very smart decision and that decision could have potentially saved her life.”

He continued: “We don’t know if she had stayed in the group and continued to receive the social media trolling that she used to get, who knows what could have happened.”

The band said there were “parallels” between Nelson’s situation and that of their band mate Mustafa Rahimtulla, who announced a break from Rak-Su after “struggling with mental health issues”.

“I think there’s a couple of parallels between obviously, what Mustafa has gone through and what Jesy has gone through with regards to them maybe being perceived as slightly different than the other three,” Ashley Fongho added.

Stephenson called it a “smart personal move”, stating: “Everybody has a breaking point.”

Liam Payne, who joined One Direction via The X Factor in 2010, was defended after making a controversial comment about his former bandmate Zayn Malik in relation to Nelson’s departure.