Perrie Edwards has opened up about the emotional toll of losing her friendship with Jesy Nelson.
Edwards and Nelson first met in 2011 during their time on The X Factor, where they formed Little Mix alongside Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock and ultimately went on to win the show.
For nearly a decade, the group topped UK charts and earned a massive fanbase, but in 2020, Nelson left the group citing mental health issues, before striking up a solo career.
In a candid interview on Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, Edwards shared how difficult it was to come to terms with their “friendship break-up” and how much she "struggled" in the wake of Nelson’s departure.
When asked how she felt about drifting apart from Nelson, the South Shields native shared that she “wrote a song about” the experience before adding: “It's not really spoken about.
“When you hear a heartbreak song, it's about a relationship or a significant other, and it's like, 'Unbreak my heart'. But when it's a friend, you don't hear about it much in music, so I was like, 'I am going to write something about it because it's just as heartbreaking, if not worse.’”
Edwards added that she “struggled a lot” with Nelson no longer being in her life after leaving Little Mix and admitted she’s wrestled with the idea of reaching out to her former bandmate.
She continued: “When you have been in that person's life for years, and they have had your back, and you have been through highs, lows, everything and all of these experiences, it's a wild ride, but you are in it together, and then poof, they're gone... That is hard to deal with.
“I struggled a lot with that.
“It was really sad, but at the same time, these things happen, and it makes you think, ‘Do we try to rectify the situation? Do I reach out? I feel like I should just stay away.’ It's a really horrible dynamic to be in.”
Before concluding: “You can't force somebody to be friends with you. If they don't want to be friends, they don't want to be friends. But, yes, it's really hard.”
After leaving Little Mix, Nelson reflected on her struggles, telling People at the time: “For me, my mental health issues were an ongoing thing while I was in Little Mix. I was struggling with my body issues, I was constantly being trolled – and I really, really struggled with it.”
She emphasised: “I needed support and help to overcome that, and there wasn't the time while I was in the band. I don't have any regrets because I had to do what was right for me, and I will always cherish the memories I had at Little Mix.”
