Jesy Nelson has hit back at her critics questioning the timing of her solo music career after she quit Little Mix last December.
In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, Jesy admitted she's aware that some fans have questioned why she headed back to the studio so soon after leaving the band, after 'hinting' she would be stepping back from the limelight.
Speaking at the time of her departure, Jesy said being part of Little Mix had taken a toll on her mental health.
"I find the pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard," she told fans of the chart-topping girl group.
Addressing her previous statement, Jesy she never said that she would be standing down from the public eye forever or was willing to give up her love of performing.
She told Cosmopolitan: "I feel like there’s been a few people who don’t understand why I left Little Mix but am now in the studio making music. A lot of people said, ‘I thought you came out of the band to focus on your mental health?’
"I never said when I put out my statement, that I was coming out of the band to never be in the public eye, perform again or do music. I said I was coming out of the band because I genuinely couldn’t deal with the pressure of being in a girl band.
"For people to think that I would just stop working completely is crazy because me working on my mental health is going to the studio, and creating music that I love. That’s what clears my head and makes me happy. It's good for my mental health," she explained.
"I need to do things that make me happy now and people might think that’s selfish but sometimes in life you have to put yourself first, you have to love yourself, you’ve got to do what makes you happy," added Jesy.
Elsewhere in the interview, Jesy spoke for the first time about her painful last weeks in the band.
Jesy said that as she reunited with Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall after lockdown she'd realised she'd become a different person.
The singer said she'd ben the happiest she'd ever felt at home with her loved ones and the pressure of returning to work and a looming music video sent her into a tailspin.
Jesy told Cosmo she'd put on weight in lockdown and felt under pressure to slim down for a shoot with the other girls prompting her to go on an 'extreme diet' of protein shakes and controlling her portion sizes.
As the band got together to film Sweet Melody, Jesy revealed she had a panic attack on set and is not in one of the scenes.
Jesy said the crisis point gave her the wake-up call she needed to step back from her commitments after realising she'd been 'trying to be happy' for too long.
*If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk
The June issue of Cosmopolitan is on sale from 6th May
