Following Little Mix‘s appearance in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on Tuesday, September 15, Jesy Nelson revealed she suffered a panic attack right before the group performed a stunning cover of Harry Styles‘ “Falling.”
“So, my nerves got the better of me today and I had panic attack right before we were about to sing this for Live Lounge today and, like a pro, @perrieedwards jumped in for my part last minute and smashed it,” Jesy, 29, wrote on Instagram alongside a video of her solo. “This is what we originally did in rehearsals.”
The songstress was supposed to open the track with a solo as heard in the rehearsal video, but according to her Instagram caption, was unable to perform due to her anxiety. Fellow Little Mix member Perris Edwards was quick to step in and take over Jesy’s part.
Fans who watched the full Live Lounge performance noticed singers Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall run over to Jesy after the group performed their latest single “Holiday.” Jesy “had to leave the stage after breaking down in tears,” The Daily Mail reported. They also noted she “began to tear up and held up her hands to show that she was visibly shaking.”
Jesy opened up about suffering from anxiety during a 2019 interview with VICE.
“I’d get so anxious that people would be looking at me and talking, and I’d think they were talking about me, the fat one, saying horrible things,” she said at the time, explaining that her struggles stemmed from appearing on The X Factor in 2011. “For five years solid I’ve had it drilled into my head that I’m fat and ugly and look deformed. You obviously start, after a while, to believe that.”
After the girl group’s Live Lounge performance, Little Mix fans took to social media and showed their support for Jesy, who trended on the social media site.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Youth Crisis Hotline at 1-800-448-4663.
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