They were the envy of teenage girls around the world, but Perrie Edwards says her meteoric rise with Little Mix led to debilitating panic attacks, shattered friendships and more than a hint of regret.
The singer became a household name after winning The X Factor in 2012 with bandmates Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy Nelson.
To date, the only girl group to win the show, Little Mix enjoyed sustained success, winning multiple awards, amassing 15 billion streams and selling more than three million concert tickets during their decade-long reign of modern pop.
But they announced their hiatus in 2022, two years after Nelson announced her abrupt departure from the band due to long-term issues with her mental health.
Speaking to Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast the day after former One Direction star Liam Payne fell to his death from a hotel balcony, Edwards, 31, admits her broken friendship with Nelson has inspired a new song.
Perrie Edwards has spoken to Fearne Cotton’s My Happy Place podcast about her struggles with panic attacks, rising anxiety and regret over the loss of her friendship with Jesy Nelson
The singer became a household name after winning The X Factor with bandmates Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy Nelson in 2012 (pictured on the show in 2017)
She said: ‘I wrote a song about it – a friendship I had that I don’t have anymore. We don’t know how to talk about friendship breakdowns.
“It’s still so heartbreaking when you go through all these things with someone, all the highs and lows and then they’re just gone.
“But these things happen. Are we trying to make things right? Or will you just stay away?’
The singer, who launched a solo career with the release of debut single Forget About Us in April, also revealed she has been plagued by panic attacks since finding fame with Little Mix.
Citing a notable incident that occurred while the band was in the United States, she explained. “My fear started when we were in Vegas a few years ago when something happened.
‘I had been having panic attacks for a while. I thought I was dying, my heart hurt and I went to the hospital and they said, “What medicine did you take?” and I didn’t say anything!
‘I told them, ‘Something is happening to my heart, I’m dying and I had a panic attack.’
‘Since that trip they kept coming and it got so bad I had to ask my mother to put me in a mental institution.’
Cotton’s latest podcast episode was recorded the day after former One Direction star Liam Payne fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
Edwards admitted her broken friendship with Jesy Nelson, who left the band in 2020, has inspired a new song (L-R: Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jesy Nelson, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall)
She added: ‘Therapy has helped me enormously. I have tried so many therapists and doctors. I catastrophize the normal everyday things, but when I’m on stage I’m fine.’
Edwards also broke her silence on Liam Payne’s tragic death when she spoke in the candid new podcast interview, released Monday morning.
The Little Mix singer opened up about her heartbreak at his death and stressed that artists are ‘not being cared for enough in the music industry’.
One Direction singer Liam died earlier this month at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires. This caused an outpouring of grief from distraught fans around the world.
Little Mix and One Direction both started their careers on The X Factor and Perrie dated bandmate Zayn Malik, meaning the two bands had a close relationship.
She helps: “I think it just feels weird. It’s just so sad and heartbreaking and my heart aches for his family and friends, Cheryl, his little boy.
‘It’s terrible. I can’t imagine how they must be feeling right now. I didn’t think it was real when I read it, it’s in the air and everyone can feel it.
“Me and the Little Mix girls were chatting and Leigh-Anne (Pinnock) just said it feels really close to home. Our careers were very aligned, we had a close relationship with them. It’s honestly so sad, it gave me a weird feeling in my body when I saw the headline.”
Edwards also broke her silence on Liam Payne’s tragic death as she spoke in the candid new podcast interview, released Monday morning
Edwards and her bandmates with Tulisa Contostavlos after winning The X Factor in 2012. The singer says she has struggled with panic attacks and anxiety since rising to fame
She also opened up about the price of fame during the interview, discussing online trolls and how people in the music industry aren’t taken care of enough.
Perrie said: ‘There are no consequences for people’s comments online. People are not taken care of enough in this industry, they are put on a pedestal.
“They’re treated like a god and then everyone jumps on this ‘let’s tear them down’ bandwagon.” But people are human. Can we make rules with social media?
‘I can’t bear it, I try not to look because then I can only look at negative reactions. Success is good, but fame is different: there is a dark side to it.
‘It’s intense. I sometimes take my therapist with me to work, because sometimes I can’t handle the panic attacks.’