Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson opens up about ‘waves of sadness’ ahead of BBC documentary

Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson has opened up about battling “random waves of sadness”.

The singer, who rose to fame on The X Factor in 2011, took to Instagram this week to share a message with her fans.

She wrote to her followers: “Sometimes out of nowhere I’ll get these random waves of sadness and I don’t know how they get there but they just do!

“Most of the time when I have these moments i just want to burst into tears and just let myself be sad. Not so long ago i used to just hold it all in and try to forget about it, or think of things that didn’t make me feel that way to stop me from crying. But isn’t that ridiculous?”

Jesy continued: “When we laugh whether it be a giggle or a roll on the floor wet ourselves moment, our brains don’t suddenly say you feel happy but don’t laugh so cover your mouth. We let it out because it feels good to laugh because it’s a natural emotion.

“So why do we stop ourselves from crying? If I feel sad now I let it out. I just cry because it actually makes me feel better not weaker. So if you’re feeling sad today just be sad, be bloody f***ing miserable because sometimes you just need to be sad and that’s ok.

“Anyway I just wanted to share that with you all because if you are feeling this way you’re not alone in feeling like that.”

Jesy made the comments ahead of discussing her struggles with mental health in a new BBC documentary.

The Little Mix star will explore body image and mental health in a brand new documentary that will air on both BBC Three and BBC One.

Provisionally titled Jesy Nelson: My Story, the one-off special will look at how growing up in a social media-fuelled age of selfies, body shaming and trolling is having a profound impact on the mental health of young people.

Jesy said of the doc earlier this year: “This is a project really close to my heart, and I’m delighted to be working with the BBC on a documentary that will both challenge me personally and also highlight a hugely important issue affecting young people today”.

Fiona Campbell, Controller of BBC Three, added: “BBC Three has a rich history of delivering impactful films and we’re really pleased that we can provide a platform for Jesy to tell her story.

“As a young female in a successful girl band where intense scrutiny from the public is the norm, Jesy offers a unique perspective on the impact social media can have on an individual and their mental health. It promises to be an eye-opening watch, full of universal themes which will no doubt resonate with our audience.”

The documentary will premiere exclusively online via BBC Three before it airs on BBC One with a release date to be revealed.