Jesy Nelson has said she blames her mother Janice’s issues with her weight for her own struggle with food in a candid new interview.
The singer, 34, has spoken openly about her struggles with eating, body image and how those tied into her mental health – especially during her time in Little Mix.
Jesy Nelson has previously recalled starving herself before shoots and performances, describing going days drinking only Diet Coke or eating very little.
But now she has admitted she believes the root of her problems stem from childhood, after watching her mum ‘constantly weigh herself’ and diet.
Jesy Nelson made the confession during an appearance on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast, where she put her own struggles down to learned behaviour.
She said: ‘I always saw my mum constantly weighing herself, and I picked that up as a child, and I think that followed through and always saw my mum drinking Slim Fast.
‘And then, whereas I got older, I started doing that, and it’s what you I believe you learn’.
In October, Jesy Nelson said she finally feels proud of her body after ’33 years of extreme dieting’ after welcoming her baby twins, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe.
Jesy Nelson, who shares her daughters with ex Zion Foster, said it took the arrival of her little girls for her to realise how incredible her body is.
Jesy Nelson publicly revealed that her children have spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1 in an emotional video on January 4.
She then discussed the diagnosis on ITV’s This Morning on January 7, where she described the experience and her new focus on raising awareness.
Prior to this, Jesy Nelson, who found fam after winning the X Factor, said she has ‘put herself down’ wishing she had a ‘flatter belly and smaller waist’ for her entire life.
Alongside the body positive post, she shared three stunning black and white photos showing off her amazing figure in her underwear while holding her baby girls.
She wrote: ‘I never thought it would have taken having two beautiful baby girls, that I could have potentially lost, to make me realise how incredible my body actually is.
’33 years of extreme diets, 33 years of putting myself down wishing my belly was flatter, wanting my waist just a little smaller and almost going through with a boob job, to now standing here having this photo taken.’
She continued: ‘I can honestly say I’ve never felt prouder of my body and what it has been through! Yes my boobs hang lower and my belly is bigger and squishier – it doesn’t look how it used to, but my god it created the best gift that has ever happened to me.
‘I cannot wait to show my girls the first place they called home and the place where they defied all the odds. If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past 9 months of being pregnant, it’s that I never want my girls to feel the way I did about my body for so many years.’
Jesy concluded by telling other new mums, who are ‘feeling the pressure to snap back’, to be ‘kinder to yourself’.
She added: ‘So to all the future mummies or the mummies that have just given birth, if you’re struggling with how you are feeling in yourself or are maybe even feeling the pressure to “snap back” just take a moment to remember what YOU did! Be kinder to yourself and remember you are INCREDIBLE!!!’
Fans and friends rushed to the comments to share sweet messages with several gushing how ‘incredible and strong’ Jesy is.
They wrote: ‘What a women, incredible role model mama; Incredible woman, incredible mama; 2011 Jesy would be so proud; Beautiful pictures and you look amazing;
‘Incredible mother and body that grew your 2 tiny humans; Absolutely stunning photos. Women are amazing; Thank you for using your platform to share what normal bodies look like after having a baby/babies – amazing;
‘Wow such a powerful message and especially as you have always been such a fierce gorgeous girl in my eyes; What a beautiful family! You look amazing.’
After winning X Factor with her former band Little Mix back in 2011, the singer was subject to vile trolling about her looks, which impacted her mental health.
‘I wasn’t Jesy the barmaid, the happy confident girl that I used to be,’ she said during an appearance on Lorraine in 2019. ‘I was vulnerable, nervous wreck.’
The hitmaker revealed that she received disgusting messages telling her she was the ‘ugliest thing’ and that she ‘deserves to die’.
The star went on to lose weight and returned to the X Factor stage in 2013, but was still subject to nasty comments, which later led to her overdosing.
Opening up about the harrowing time in her BBC documentary titled Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out, she said: ‘I just remember thinking, “I just need this to go away, I’m going to end this”.
‘I remember going to the kitchen and just took as many tablets as I could.
‘Then I laid in bed for ages and kept thinking, “Let it happen. Hurry up”‘.
‘I thought, “I could be the skinniest girl in the world, and this is never going to go away,” That was the point I got severely depressed,’ she added.
In December 2020, Jesy confirmed that she was going to leave Little Mix after nine years.
In an Instagram statement, she explained that she was focused on things that make her ‘happy’ and also said that being in the group has ‘taken a toll on her mental health’.
‘To all my Mixers, the past nine years in Little Mix has been the most incredible time of my life.
‘The truth is recently being in the band has really taken a toll on my mental health. I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard.
‘There comes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking care of ourselves rather than focusing on making other people happy, and I feel like now is the time to begin that process.
‘So after much consideration and with a heavy heart, I’m announcing I’m leaving Little Mix.’
Jesy emotionally added: ‘I need to spend some time with the people I love, doing things that make me happy.
‘We have achieved things I never thought possible. From winning our first Brit Award to our sold out shows at the O2.
‘Making friends and fans all over the world I can’t thank you all enough from the bottom of my heart for making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
‘You have always been there to support and encourage me.
‘I’m ready to embark on a new chapter in my life – I’m not sure what it’s going to look like right now, but I hope you’ll still be there to support me.
‘I want to say thank you to everyone involved in our journey. All the hard work and dedication that went into making us a success.
‘To every single fan who came to see us in concert, who listened to our songs and sung their hearts out, sent me messages and supported me along the way I want you to know I love you all so much and I could never have done this without you and I appreciate it endlessly.
‘Most of all I want to say thank you to Jade, Perrie and Leigh-Anne for creating some of the most amazing memories I’ll never forget. I hope that you’ll continue to fulfil all of your dreams and keep on making music that people love. Love Jesy x.’
After leaving the band, Jesy embarked on her solo career, releasing singles including Boyz, Bad Thing and Mine, and then later stepped away from the spotlight.
The remaining members of Little Mix – Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock – went on hiatus in 2022 to pursue solo projects.