Jesy Nelson: Almost Quit Little Mix Early On

Jesy Nelson has confessed that she wanted to back out of Little Mix after just two years of being in the award-winning band.

The singer, 34, joined the girl group - who consisted of Jesy, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock - after winning The X Factor in 2011, which catapulted her to fame and fortune.

But she revealed on the Great Company with Jamie Laing podcast that she wanted to leave the popular band seven years before she called it quits.

Appearing on the show, dressed in a knitted camouflage-patterned zip-up, she was applauded by Jamie for plucking up the courage to leave just a year before the group was to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

She said: 'That [leaving] presented itself far before I made that decision.

'There was a time where I was like 'oh, I want to leave' and I remember sitting down with my family… and it was actually because of my brother that in the end I stayed.'

Jesy Nelson, 34, has confessed that she wanted to back out of Little Mix after just two years of being in the award-winning band

The singer, joined the girl group - who consisted of Jesy, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock - after winning The X Factor in 2011, which catapulted her to fame

'The first time I wanted to leave I remember I went home and we were kinda weighing up the [pros and cons]… and at that point we weren't even at our biggest.

'We were, it had only been like two years, but we were still big. Everyone still knew who Little Mix were so it was like 'if you leave now, what are you going to do?''

She went on to explain that her brother praised her strength and encouraged her to stay longer for a few more years.

'My brother was like 'you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for and I think you can stick this out for another few years', she added.

'I'm going to be completely honest about what he said, he said 'just make as much money as you can, you've got a chance to really change your family's life.

'If somewhere in you can do this for another few years, do it, and then leave, because you'll never get this opportunity again.''

Jesy said her brother 'was right' and said she's now grateful that she stayed and could 'change her family's life' which could include getting extra treatments for her twin girls.

She recently addressed the devastating prognosis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, that Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, aged nine months, may not live beyond the age of two.

But now she has revealed to the Great Company with Jamie Laing podcast that she wanted to leave the popular band seven years before she called it quits

Appearing on the show she was applauded by Jamie for plucking up the courage to leave just a year before the group was to celebrate their 10th anniversary

Jesy explained that despite the tragic news they decided to keep filming as she fights to 'make a change.'

Speaking in London ahead of her Amazon Prime documentary, Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix, she also discussed her next plans in a Q and A on Tuesday.

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She said: 'I just hope people continue to watch the next part of the journey. When the girls got their diagnosis, we decided that we wanted to continue filming.

'As hard as it was, we were like, "You know what? There's a reason you guys are here, and we've got to make the best out of this situation."'

Jesy continued: 'I'm sure you guys are aware, like, I'm trying to get it [SMA] made part of the heel prick test. That's my main goal right now, as well as looking after my beautiful girls.

'I haven't even seen it back yet, but I already know it's going to be tough. But I'm just so happy that we've been able to document everything, because I really believe that we're going to make a change. Like, I feel it.

'I love how dedicated people are to spreading awareness about everything that I've been through and this [programme] is going to shed even more.'

Genetic neuromuscular disease SMA1 causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting due to motor neuron loss.

She recently addressed the devastating prognosis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, that Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, aged nine months, may not live beyond the age of two 

Jesy, who recently split from the children's father, Zion Foster, 26, said she is hopeful that her babies will defy the odds now that they are receiving treatment and go on to have a longer life expectancy.

Jesy said: 'So spinal muscular atrophy is a muscular wasting disease, so they don't have a gene that we all have in our body.

'Their muscles are now deteriorating and wasting away, and if you don't get them treatment in time, eventually the muscles will all just die, which then affects the breathing, the swallowing, everything. And they will die before the age of two.

'It's not okay, but it is what it is, and I just have to accept it, and now just try and make the best out of this situation... And my girls are the strongest, most resilient babies and I really believe that they are going to defy all the odds.