Jesy Nelson’s Little Mix bandmates have revealed the toll internet bullies took on the singer.
Earlier this week, the 28-year-old revealed she once tried to take her own life having struggled to cope with the onslaught of negativity she received after appearing on X Factor in 2011.
Ahead of her new documentary on mental health and body image, Nelson said she became almost “obsessed” with reading negative comments about herself and reached her lowest point in 2013.
Nelson’s bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall will appear in the doc, titled Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out.
According to the Sun they will discuss how Nelson changed and turned into a “broken doll”, with Thirlwall, 26, is reported as saying: “The three of us didn’t know what to do.
“We just had to watch this amazing, funny girl become a bit like a broken doll. It was horrible.
“I remember feeling really angry. I wanted to just find every single person that had ever said anything horrible to her, look them in the eye and say, ‘Look what you’ve done to this girl’.
“Every single person that said something should have been held accountable for making her feel like that.”
Nelson became fixated with trawling social media, searching for phrases such as “Jesy fat” and “Jesy ugly”.
The 28-year-old described the habit as “like an addiction”.
While Nelson’s mental health has gradually improved since she deleted Twitter from her phone, Pinnock, 27, said there had been a lasting impact.
She said: “She is a little bit of a nightmare when it comes to video shoots and photoshoots. It has been a bit hard within the group.
“People don’t realise what bullying and trolling can do to someone. The trolls took away her love for it and her passion. But how does she get that back?
“How does she go back to feeling confident and feeling amazing from all that s**t that happened to her?”
Nelson announced earlier this year that she was making a documentary exploring body image and mental health because she wanted to “make a change and a difference to other people’s lives”.
Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out airs on BBC One at 9pm on Thursday.
For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123, visit a local Samaritans branch or visit them online at www.samaritans.org.
Additional reporting by Press Association
