Jesy Nelson on cyberbullying and mental health stigma: I learned it's OK to talk about how you feel
Little Mix star Jesy Nelson told the Loose Women that she felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders when she finally opened up about being targeted by cyberbullies.
Jesy, who shot to fame when Little Mix won the X Factor in 2011, said that speaking out about the negative and abusive comments she had received online had really helped her to move forward.
"For such a long time it was such a big secret," she explained. "Obviously only the girls knew and like, people that I worked with."
She admitted that she'd been incredibly nervous about making her award-winning documentary, Odd One Out, for fear of the online abuse becoming worse.
"I just kept thinking 'if I keep talking about this it's never going to go away'. But I learned that by not talking about it, it actually made it a lot worse for me."
Jesy told the women that there was a point, half way through filming, when she'd actually considered giving up on the project, but was ultimately so glad she had pushed through.
"As soon as I’d done it I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. There’s such a stigma that comes with mental health - a lot of people are ashamed to talk about how they really feel and a lot of people are scared to let people know if they’re struggling and that’s how I felt for such a long time," she explained.
"And what I actually learned, by doing this documentary and letting everyone know is that it’s actually OK to talk about how you feel and it makes you feel so much better."
Watch Jesy's chat in the video above and catch her full interview - including her advice for parents who are worried about their children's online activity - on the ITV Hub.
If you've been affected by any of the issues raised during Jesy's chat you can check out these mental health and bullying helplines.
Watch Loose Women weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV, STV and the ITV Hub.