Perrie Edwards opens up about fall out with Jesy Nelson: 'like losing a limb'

Perrie Edwards has opened up about the rift with former Little Mix bandmate Jesy Nelson, telling Glamour UK that the friendship’s breakdown felt “like losing a limb.” The remark comes as Edwards, 32, looks ahead to the release of her debut solo album, which is set for September 26. Nelson left Little Mix in December 2020, saying the constant pressure of being in a girl group had taken a toll, and she gradually drifted apart from Perrie, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall.

Edwards described the heartbreak of adjusting to life without Nelson in the daily orbit they once shared. In the interview, she discusses the song Same Place, Different View, which she wrote about the end of the friendship, explaining that the track delves into breakups and heartbreak, but rarely speaking about friendships that break down. “It’s about a friendship that I once had, that I no longer have anymore. We talk about breakups and heartbreak, but we don’t normally talk about friendships that break down. And it was like losing a limb. I was with her every day. We lived in each other’s pockets,” she said.

The discussion follows Edwards’ previous remarks about the rift on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, where she hinted that the fallout inspired new music. She said at the time that she wrote a song about a friendship she no longer has and that talk of friendship breakups remains a delicate topic, acknowledging that the highs and lows of a close relationship can become distant and difficult to navigate when separation occurs. “But these things happen. Do we try and rectify things? Or just stay away?”

In the years since Nelson left the group, both have spoken little publicly about the split, though Edwards has repeatedly described the period as heartbreakingly sad. In a Cosmopolitan UK interview last year, she said they had not spoken for a long time and that the situation was “really sad, it’s heartbreaking.” She added that while parting ways was painful, she recognized that sometimes people decide to go in different directions and that such decisions are sometimes unavoidable.

Nelson’s departure from Little Mix came amid concerns for her mental health and a perceived toll from the group’s demanding schedule. In her Instagram announcement, she explained that being in the band had taken a toll on her mental health and that she needed to focus on things that make her happy. “To all my Mixers, the past nine years in Little Mix has been the most incredible time of my life,” she wrote, adding that the pressue had become unsustainable and that she needed to begin a process of reinvestment in herself. She later launched a solo career, releasing several singles and moving away from the spotlight at times to focus on personal well-being.

The public-facing narratives surrounding the Little Mix era have remained largely separate from the individual paths Edwards and Nelson have pursued since their split. Edwards’ forthcoming solo work continues to position her as a defining voice in pop, with the personal history of the band serving as a backdrop to her own artistic evolution. Fans have long followed the dynamics of Little Mix with keen interest, especially as both members have navigated the complexities of fame, friendship, and personal health in the public eye.