Jesy Nelson reportedly hooked up with a male model who was previously convicted for drug dealing.
The Sun on Sunday reports the former Little Mix star, 30, had a fling with Aaron Gage, 25, last year.
Before they met he was handed a two-year prison term, suspended for 18 months, for possession of cocaine with the intent to supply.
The model - real name Aaron Mills - faced court in 2018 for arranging deals with the Class A drug.
A source said: "Jesy had no idea about this man's past. Obviously, should Jesy have known about his past, a first date wouldn't have happened.
"Jesy's gone away for a while to recoup after the last year of relentless trolling and to be able to focus fully on her new music. Her new team are ensuring she's keeping focused and positive ahead of the new track dropping."
The Sun On Sunday reports that the model slipped into Jesy's DMs on Instagram in 2021.
She was single at the time and soon responded.
The source added: "Aaron had always really fancied Jesy so thought he would try his luck with her and slid into her DMs on Instagram.
"He was shocked when she responded."
They added that Aaron was "smitten" with the popstar, but she was "focused" on her solo career.
The Mirror has contacted Jesy's representative for comment.
Nottingham Crown Court heard that Aaron advertised drug deals on his mobile phone.
One text allegedly read: "Fresh, sale next hour only, two for 70 or three for 90."
Aaron, who was said to have arranged up to nine drug deals at £40 each, was caught after police raided his home and found cocaine.
The heavily tattooed fitness model - who calls himself 'Mountain Of Strength' on Instagram - initially claimed the drugs were for his own personal use.
He avoided a jail sentence as it was his first offence but was ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid community work in addition to his suspended sentence.
Jesy jetted off to Los Angeles last month, to start work on some new music following the release of her first solo offering last year.
The former X Factor contestant's debut single Boyz, which also featured Nicki Minaj and P Diddy, received mixed reviews when it hit number 4 in the UK Singles Charts in October 2020.
The bop also received controversy surrounding allegations of black fishing and cultural appropriation from Jesy in the accompanying music video.
After a less than ideal start to her solo career, Jesy is throwing everything at 2022 to make it a successful year - even reportedly hiring the songwriting genius behind one of her former band's biggest hits.
It's been reported that the Romford-born star is set to team up talented writer Tayla Parx to help get her solo career back on track - the genius behind Little Mix's fifth number one single Sweet Melody
According to The Sun, Jesy paid the talented songwriter a visit when over in Los Angeles last month and the pair have been working together on a new song.
"She has an incredible track record when it comes to writing smash hits, so Jesy is hopeful they will be able to cook up something great together," an insider told the publication.
