Little Mix has announced that Jesy Nelson is leaving the group

Today Jesy Nelson has announced the very sad news that she is leaving Little Mix. It comes just under a month after a spokesperson confirmed that she was taking an extended break from the group for private medical reasons.

The band's three remaining members, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards, have confirmed that they will continue to perform as a trio.

Announced on Monday evening, this comes just a day after the group performed as a three on Sunday night's results show of the BBC programme Strictly Come Dancing.

"After an amazing 9 years together Jesy has made the decision to leave Little Mix. This is an incredibly sad time for all of us but we are fully supportive of Jesy," a statement posted to the band's Twitter and Instagram reads.

"We love her very much and agree that it is so important that she does what is right for her mental health and well-being. We are still very much enjoying our Little Mix journey and the 3 of us are not ready for it to be over."

The statement continues, "We know that Jesy leaving the group is going to be really upsetting news for our fans. We love you guys so much and are so grateful for your loyalty and continued support of all of us.

"We're looking forward to seeing so many of you on tour. Love always, Jade, Perrie and Leigh-Anne xxx."

The band has just released their sixth studio album, their last as a group of four, "Confetti", featuring the hit "Break Up Song".

Jesy also took to Instagram to share a heartfelt and honest message with fans.

While we know fans will be devastated at this news, this decision is clearly the right one for Jesy and we're so pleased to hear that she is putting her mental health first. 

We are sending her all the love and support after this difficult announcement.