Myles Stephenson has praised Jesy Nelson’s “smart” decision to quit Little Mix.
The singer won X Factor in 2017 in R&B group Rak-Su, along with his bandmates Ashley Fongho, Jamaal Shurland and Mustafa Rahimtulla.
The former I’m A Celeb star revealed his bandmate Mustafa experienced online trolling similar to Jesy’s following his rise to fame, and admitted the “pressure” can be “difficult” for anyone.
Speaking to Metro, the 29-year-old said: “We all know that she’s gone through drama with people, obviously trolling and social media so I think she made a very smart decision.”
“That decision could have potentially saved her life,” Myles added.
“We don’t know if she had stayed in the group and continued to receive the social media trolling that she used to get, who knows what could have happened.”
“It’s the same situation with Mustafa when he used to get trolled as well. How long can people take it?
“You know whether you’re a confident person or you’re not so confident person, everybody has a breaking point, people just need to find out what it is.”
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Jesy announced she was quitting Little Mix last week, admitting being in the band was taking a toll on her mental health.
In an emotional statement announcing her departure, the 29-year-old: “To all my Mixers, the past nine years in Little Mix has been the most incredible time of my life.
“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 and I will never ever forget it.”
“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,” she continued.
“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 added: “I need to spend some time with the people I love, doing things that make me happy. 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.”
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“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.”
Little Mix were formed on The X Factor back in 2011, with Jesy, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall going on to win the show.
