Jesy Nelson is taking an "extended" break from Little Mix.

It has been confirmed that the singer will be taking some time out from the girl group - which also includes Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock - for "private medical reasons".

A spokesperson for the group said: "Jesy is having extended time off from Little Mix for private medical reasons. We will not be issuing any further comment currently and ask media to please respect her privacy at this time."

Jesy's break comes following great success for Little Mix, with both their brand new album 'Confetti' as well as their talent show 'Little Mix: The Search', which saw them put together a number of bands who competed against one another to win a place support the girl group on their UK and Ireland tour next year.

Jade had previously opened up about her bond with her bandmates.

The 27-year-old singer said: “A producer that we worked with at the start said to us, ‘When one woman walks into a room, a few heads turn. But when a group of women walk into the room, every head turns.’

"That’s something we’ve always thought when we’ve lacked confidence … This whole idea of solidarity and empowerment ... I think it’s one of the reasons why we’ve been together 10 years next year. That’s quite rare, for a girl band to survive without killing each other. We always said, no matter what happened, we would remain equal. The minute somebody thinks they are more important, that’s where it starts to go wrong."

Despite hiccups and delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Little Mix's BBC One talent show was a big hit with viewers and fans alike, who had patiently waited for the show to come back on air in Autumn.