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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-15555803/Jesy-Nelson-reveals-secret-suicide-attempt-days-quit-Little-Mix-claims-cry-help-lead-overdose-ignored-bandmates.html

Jesy Nelson reveals she made secret suicide attempt days before she quit Little Mix and felt her cry for help in the lead-up to her overdose was ignored by bandmates

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By LILY JOBSON, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 07:21, 13 February 2026 | Updated: 10:38, 13 February 2026

Jesy Nelson has revealed she tried to take her own life just days before she quit Little Mix, as she laid bare the mystery behind her departure from the band.  In her new docuseries, Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix, which released February 13 on Prime Video, Jesy, 34, bravely discussed her mental health troubles.  Overcome with emotion, Jesy recalled feeling 'really alone' after she claimed her bandmates Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock ignored her cry for help in the lead up to her overdose.  Jesy left the group in 2020.  It was the second time Jesy had tried to commit suicide following an overdose in 2013, which she discussed in her BBC documentary Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out.  Jesy explained: 'I was so sad. I was so down. I knew after coming out of hospital that I mentally couldn't do it [be in the band] any more.  Speaking about the painful breakdown of Little Mix days before she tried to take her own life, Jesy said: 'I sat everyone down to explain how I was feeling and I remember one of the responses being, "Are you done now? Is that it?"  She [one of the girls] was like, "Can I go now?" That made me feel really alone. I felt like there was no point. That no one cared.'

It was Jesy's mother Janice who raised the alarm after Jesy fell unconscious while on the phone to her.  Janice explained: 'For a few days before, she had just been really down and not talking much. She wanted to be on her own quite a lot.  I got a gut feeling that something wasn't right. I kept ringing and ringing, but there was no answer. She eventually answered the phone and the way she was talking was really slurry.  I heard the phone drop and didn't hear anything else I knew she'd done something.'

Speaking about the breakdown of Little Mix's friendship, Janice said the band 'wasn't there' for Jesy.  She said: 'I can see why they [the other Little Mix members] did get angry at times.'

She continued: 'It's hard to work with someone who is always down when you are always happy.  But I personally believe that at Jesy's lowest of low times, the girls were not really there for her and I think that's why she's so sad now.'

After Jesy's second suicide attempt, Janice said: 'I kept cuddling her and said, "Right, that's it now. No more. You've got to stop doing what makes you unhappy".'

It was at that moment in hospital recovery, Jesy made the decision to quit.  At the time of Jesy's overdose, she was meant to appear in the final of Little Mix's BBC talent show The Search.  Host Chris Ramsey told fans at the time that Jesy had fallen ill as he explained her sudden absence from the show.  After seeking legal advice, Jesy said her lawyers delivered the news to her bandmates before she had the chance.  Jesy said: 'I think they felt really hurt about that and it should never have played out like that. I didn't get my opportunity to explain why I couldn't do this anymore. I feel mad that that was taken away from me.'

She continued: 'I got myself up mentally and was like, right, I want to have a chat with the girls now, I wanna chat to them and tell them why, I did what I did, like how I've been feeling. Just really explain to them, try to make them understand how I was feeling.  And then my manager called, and she was like, "so I've spoke to the girls and they are happy to chat to you, but they don't feel comfortable being in a room with you unless there is a therapist there".  I just remember being like, "what? I've just come out of hospital, like this is the time I need you the most".  I don't know, I just didn't feel like they were my sisters.'

Jesy explained: 'Eventually there was a phone call. It was really awkward and so weird. It was like talking to strangers. It was the most uncomfortable phone call of my life. No one knew what to say.  And that's the last time I ever spoke to them as a group. It's been five years now and every time I think about it, I think, was it them or was it the management? I'll never know.'

Later on in the docuseries, Jesy was asked if she ever sees herself reuniting with the band.  She replied: 'I really don't know. I see both sides. I see why they would be sad and hurt.'

Jesy continued: 'They reached out to me when I was pregnant, it was lovely because I never thought that would happen.  It made me really emotional. We're grown women now, we've got kids, and I just think there are so many more important things in life. It's just one of those things that need to be put to bed now.'

The Daily Mail has contacted Little Mix's Perrie, Leigh-Anne and Jade's representatives for comment.  The documentary also focused on Jesy's relationship with her ex-fiancé Zion Foster.  Jesy and Zion, 27, ended their engagement last month following a difficult period caring for their daughters at the beginning of the year.  She said at the time that after four years together, they would remain 'united as co-parents' despite ending their romantic relationship.  In the show, Jesy's mother Janice offered her thoughts on the doomed romance in scenes that were filmed months before their split.  She shared her initial opinion on Zion, stating that she didn't think he was the one.  Janice said: 'In the beginning, like I kept saying to Jesy, "he's not the one for you, he's too young, and he's not for you."'

Yet, Jesy's mum later clarified that her opinion of the rapper has changed as he 'proved himself'.  She said: 'I feel horrible now, like he has just proved himself one billion per cent.  He's had such a positive calmness on her life. I think they've definitely found their soulmate in each other.'

In another scene, Janice shared her concerns about anyone who dates Jesy, as she questions their true intentions.   She said: 'I do always worry because she's got money, got a nice home, she's got quite a lot for someone so young.  So I do worry with any boy she meets, are their intentions genuine?'  But Zion was just so different,' she added.

The Amazon Prime show will also bring fresh heartache to Jesy when her proposal plays out on screen.  It shows the moment Zion opens up to Jesy on the beach while they discuss their new move to Cornwall.  Starring deeply at Jesy, Zion said: 'On another note, I just want to thank you for being the best partner I could ever ask for.  I feel like you've helped me find a love that I even thought was possible. I just want you to know that.  So on that note, I love you so, so much. You're my best friend, and you're the person I genuinely want to spend the rest of my life with.  We've been through so much, good times, we've had our challenges but we will always come out stronger.  And you've always been the best partner I could've ever asked for through thick and thin.  So, will you marry me?'

A besotted Jesy replied: 'Yes, of course. This is the most beautiful ring.  Oh, I love you so much.'

It comes after Jesy discussed her 'really tough' break-up from the father of her twins Zion Foster, after they split following their daughters' diagnosis.  She ended her four-year relationship with Zion, just weeks after the couple announced their twin daughters, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, had been diagnosed with SMA Type 1, a rare genetic condition that causes muscle wastage.  Jesy revealed the 'traumatic' series of events that ultimately led to the collapse of her romance with Zion, explaining the dynamic between them shifted and their priority is now co-parenting their daughters.  She told the Daily Mail: 'We have been through such a traumatic experience and for us, our girls are our main priority and our main focus.  We want to give them the most positive, happy and uplifting time and energy and because we have both been through such a traumatic experience, the energy wasn't right between us, which is understandable.  We are still friends and we are still united in co-parenting our daughters, they are our main focus, that's all we can do, be the best possible parents we can right now.'

Jesy had hoped to finally embrace motherhood after a complicated pregnancy, during which she learned her daughters were monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) identical twins, and had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a rare condition where both babies share a placenta.
She was relieved when they were born healthy, but her joy was shattered six months later when the SMA diagnosis arrived.  Now campaigning for all newborns to be tested for spinal muscular atrophy at birth, Jesy insists that early diagnosis is crucial, as a one-time infusion can significantly improve muscle development.  She admitted she still feels 'sad' and 'angry' that her daughters weren't identified within the vital early window. She said doctors had told her not to compare her twins' growth with other babies due to their premature birth advice that later compounded her distress.  The star added: 'I am taking each day as it comes because I feel like right now, especially with the girls' diagnosis, it's all I can really do. If I try to look too far into the future, I will drive myself crazy.  The girls are doing really well and they're happy, that's all I can really ask for.'

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org

Happy Birthday Glen53

Belated Happy Birthdays to tom9279 and banjo - sorry I was having issues getting onto the forums until about an hour ago.

It's your turn today, tom9279!   

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/missing-white-woman-syndrome-psychiatrists-and-societal-bias?ekey=RUtJRDpFOTIxNUQyMy03MkY0LTREOEUtQjRBRi1GNEI1RjcyQ0M4ODM%3D&utm_campaign=emailname&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-930VhuJcWuScyyKSz-iSAIhgGqiN0CP8MAMrmF7PE3WmSa3ak4sidCbmZBZIhPYMd74cfH8exDYT02waR22UnMZVBRiQ&_hsmi=352666391&utm_source=hs

Missing White Woman Syndrome: Psychiatrists and Societal Bias
Author(s)Camille A. Tastenhoye, MD, Susan Hatters Friedman, MD, MSt, DFAPA, Nina E. Ross, MD

The missing person case of Gabby Petito transfixed the nation in the fall of 2021 and has remained in the public eye with a recent Netflix documentary. Petito was 22 when she left Florida in July 2021 to travel across the country in a van with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. She posted frequently on social media about her trip, attempting to become a #vanlife influencer. Her disappearance in August 2021 sparked national attention, with frequent and extensive coverage from major news networks as well as social media creators posting theories and live updates. A homicide victim, Petito’s body was found in September 2021. Weeks later, Laundrie’s body was found, with the manner of death deemed to be suicide, alongside a notebook with an admission of murder.1 The February 2025 Netflix special was listed as 1 of the top 10 most-watched shows, and internet content related to the case has been reignited, indicating that the case continues to capture our collective attention.

This case, and the media and public attention brought to this case, exemplify what is known as Missing White Woman Syndrome (MWWS). The term was first proposed by journalist Gwen Ifill in 2004 to refer to the bias in media, in which young, attractive, White women are predominantly featured in news coverage compared with women of color. MWWS remains underresearched; while literature exists outlining and defining the concept, including a featured article in the New York Times,2 there is not scientific data examining the impact of the phenomenon more widely. Importantly, MWWS has implications for psychiatrists.
Lauren Smith-Fields

Lauren Smith-Fields

There are several parallels between Petito’s story and that of Lauren Smith-Fields, a 23-year-old Black woman found deceased in December 2021.3 Her death was ruled to be an accidental overdose; police initially cleared her date from suspicion but later opened a criminal investigation. Many, including Smith-Field’s family, have argued that the police’s investigation was inadequate: failing to collect evidence at the scene of the death, insufficiently questioning her date, and failing to consider that Smith-Fields, who was not known to use drugs, may have been drugged by her date and murdered.3 Despite the circumstances, Smith-Fields’ case did not garner anywhere near the amount of attention from the media and the public as Petito.

Laci Peterson

Laci Peterson

Petito and Smith-Fields are only the most recent examples of this phenomenon. We can look back at the case of Laci Peterson, an attractive 8.5-month pregnant young wife who disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002. Her husband, Scott Peterson, appeared calm when questioned and said he had been fishing when she disappeared. Her story was followed closely by the national news. Scott Peterson called his paramour, Amber Frey (whom he told previously that he was a widower), from a candlelight vigil for Laci Peterson.4 Laci Peterson’s body was eventually found, having washed ashore. When Scott Peterson was apprehended, he had dyed his hair, and his car had several mobile phones, lots of money, camping equipment, and Viagra.4 Perhaps if Laci Peterson had not been so prominently featured in the media, Frey would not have known about the case; Frey’s awareness of the case and subsequent contact with the police resulted in her critical role in its solution.

We can also find examples of this phenomenon in fiction. Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl was a bestselling novel that became a critically acclaimed film highlighting some important considerations about MWWS.5 Amy Dunne, the beautiful young White protagonist and titular Gone Girl, goes missing, and her husband Nick is the obvious suspect. However, in a midstory twist, we learn that Amy has faked her disappearance to punish Nick for an affair. Amy is superficially charming, cold, and calculating, without remorse. Bogutskya described, “No antiheroine has ever been more of a Rorschach test for morality than her.”6 This refers to MWWS as well, which the story helped show only goes along with 1 specific narrative, a “gendered binary of victimhood”7—not the narrative in this story, where “missing women only matter when they are beautiful, rich, and White.”

Media Bias

These cases exemplify the attention paid to missing women when they are young, conventionally attractive, higher socioeconomic status, and White. Attention persists even though women of color are more likely to be reported missing.8 When Black women are covered as victims of violence, they are more likely to be portrayed using stereotypical tropes, such as the “oversexed Jezebel,” and other negative descriptors, which may have the effect of victim-blaming and mitigating perpetrator responsibility.9 One-third of White women who are missing will have media coverage, including photos of themselves with their families, in contrast to less than one-sixth of missing Indigenous women.10 Coverage of a missing person with a photo may impact public perception in several ways, such as humanizing the victim and building public empathy. This disproportionate coverage may lead to the misperception that White women are more at risk.

Implications for Psychiatrists

As psychiatrists, we must be particularly aware of bias and the potential implications for our assessments of patients. Diagnostically, it is well-established that Black and Hispanic patients are significantly more likely to be labeled with a psychotic disorder compared with White patients.11 Many explanations exist for these discrepant diagnostic patterns, including the subjective nature of psychiatric symptom interpretation and the clinicians' application of diagnostic criteria differently to individual races.

Similarly, psychiatrists and mental health clinicians should be aware of the potential impact of the MWWS phenomenon on patients. Patients who feel forgotten, dismissed, or ignored because they do not fit society’s construct of important or newsworthy should be heard. This is not limited to news coverage of crime victims; negative media portrayals of mental illness have been linked to lower self-esteem in individuals experiencing mental illness, along with decreases in both help-seeking behaviors and adherence to treatment.12 Being heard means we, as psychiatrists and mental health clinicians, are aware and inquire with our patients about the potential impacts of media misrepresentation on their well-being.

Outside of our clinical work, psychiatrists have a role in advocating for equitable and accurate media depictions of individuals, especially those who allude to or reference mental health issues. The Petito case highlighted societal misperceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV). For example, a recent 16-state study found that among IPV-related fatalities, those of minority ethnicity died 9 or more years younger on average than their White counterparts.13 Young or old, White or Black, single or married, women or men can be victims of IPV, and we should remain diligent in screening all kinds of patients, despite media-driven biases that may unconsciously influence our clinical practice. Importantly, a large percentage of women exposed to IPV both deny or withhold disclosure of IPV.14 The Peterson case raised questions about feticide, when killing a pregnant woman. Pregnancy is not a safe time in violent relationships, despite myths to the contrary. Feticide may occur related to a lack of desire to be a father, a desire to end the relationship, and to avoid paying child support.15 Among cases of pregnancy-associated intimate partner homicide, Black women have rates that are 3 times higher than White and Hispanic women.16 Sharing this professional knowledge can combat the effects of biased media coverage.

Concluding Thoughts

Exposure to media, including potentially biased media coverage of a high-profile event, is inevitable in the 21st century. As recently noted in the Psychiatric Times, media has become more polarized and is contributing to mental health challenges in the American population.17 Media literacy, or the ability to critically access and evaluate communication, is the path to truth. A meta-analysis evaluating 51 varied, heterogeneous media literacy interventions illustrated that all these interventions positively impacted audiences’ awareness of media influence and their ability to evaluate media critically.18 Even without completing a formal media program, awareness of media bias and its potential impact on our own perceptions and our patients is paramount.

We are all susceptible to bias. While bias, including bias perpetuated by media coverage of an event, may be inevitable, acting on such bias is not.19 Bias interruption requires a willingness to critically evaluate external information and our own conclusions and admit our initial impressions may have been wrong. Only with such endeavors can we strive towards equitable treatment of all.

Dr Tastenhoye is a forensic child and adolescent psychiatrist, and an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC Davis. Dr Hatters Friedman is the Phillip J. Resnick Professor of Forensic Psychiatry; professor of psychiatry, reproductive biology, and pediatrics; and adjunct professor of law at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She served as editor of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry volume Family Murder: Pathologies of Love and Hate, which won the Manfred S. Guttmacher Award. Dr Ross is a forensic and reproductive psychiatrist who provides evaluations and consultation for issues in the interface of psychiatry and the law. Dr Sorrentino is the medical director at the Institution for Sexual Wellness and assistant professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is also a forensic psychiatrist with expertise in the evaluation and treatment of individuals with paraphilias. Dr Kruse is a forensic child and adolescent psychiatrist, and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan.

References

1. Hauser C. A timeline of the search for Gabrielle Petito and Brian Laundrie. New York Times. January 16, 2023. Accessed March 4, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/article/gabrielle-gabby-petito-missing-timeline.html

2. Robertson K. News media can’t shake “missing white woman syndrome,” critics say. New York Times. September 22, 2021. Accessed March 4, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/22/business/media/gabby-petito-missing-white-woman-syndrome.html

3. Fadulu L. Lauren Smith-Fields was found dead. Her family had to beg for answers. New York Times. February 15, 2022. Accessed March 4, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/27/nyregion/lauren-smith-fields-bumble-date-investigation.html

4. Spargo C. Scott Peterson and $15K in cash, four cell phones, full wardrobe, gun and Viagra found in car when he was arrested for the murder of wife Laci after fast and furious chase. Daily Mail. September 12, 2017. Accessed March 4, 2025. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4877626/Scott-Peterson-car-cash-pills-arrest.html

5. Flynn G. Gone Girl. Hachette UK; 2012.

6. Bogutskaya A. Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate. Sourcebooks; 2023.

7. Burke E. From cool girl to dead girl: Gone Girl and the allure of female victimhood. In: Joyce L, Sutton H, eds. Domestic Noir: The New Face of 21st Century Crime Fiction. 2018:71-86.

8. 2022 NCIC Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics. Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2023. Accessed March 4, 2025. https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/2022-ncic-missing-person-and-unidentified-person-statistics.pdf/view

9. Meyers M. African American women and violence: gender, race, and class in the news. Critical Studies in Media Communication. 2004;21(2):95-118.

10. Grant EA, Dechert L, Wimbush L, Blackwood A. Missing and murdered indigenous people: statewide report Wyoming. 2021. Accessed March 4, 2025. https://wysac.uwyo.edu/wysac/reports/View/7713

11. Schwartz RC, Blankenship DM. Racial disparities in psychotic disorder diagnosis: a review of empirical literature. World J Psychiatry. 2014;4(4):133-140.

12. Stuart H. Media portrayal of mental illness and its treatments: what effect does it have on people with mental illness? CNS Drugs. 2006;20(2):99-106.

13. Graham LM, Ranapurwala SL, Zimmer C, et al. Disparities in potential years of life lost due to intimate partner violence: data from 16 states for 2006-2015. PLoS One. 2021;16(2):e0246477.

14. Vranda MN, Kumar CN, Muralidhar D, et al. Barriers to disclosure of intimate partner violence among female patients availing services at tertiary care psychiatric hospitals: a qualitative study. J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2018;9(3):326-330.

15. Friedman SH, ed. Family Murder: Pathologies of Love and Hate. American Psychiatric Publishing; 2018.

16. Kivisto AJ, Mills S, Elwood LS. Racial disparities in pregnancy-associated intimate partner homicide. J Interpers Violence. 2021;37(13-14):NP10938-NP10961.

17. Anderson B. Media excess & mental health. Psychiatric Times. 2025;42(2).

18. Jeong SH, Cho H, Hwang Y. Media literacy interventions: a meta-analytic review. J Commun. 2012;62(3):454-472.

19. Gilbert DT, Hixon JG. The trouble of thinking: activation and application of stereotypic beliefs. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1991;60(4):509-517.