Little Mix alum Jade Thirlwall is opening up about her ongoing recovery from disordered eating.
“I have a daily battle with myself not to go on Ozempic,” Thirlwall, 32, told The Guardian in a profile published on Saturday, August 16. “I don’t judge people that do, but because I have a history of eating disorders, I don’t know where taking something like that would end for me.”
Thirlwall battled anorexia as a teenager and has since been in recovery.
“Now, I’m in my 30s and the healthiest I’ve ever been, but every time I post a picture, there are comments saying, ‘She must be pregnant.’ The sad thing is that it’s usually women,” she told the outlet, revealing how online comments about her body impact her mental health.
Thirlwall added, “People are used to seeing me in a group environment, five or 10 years ago, when I was stick-thin because I was in my early 20s with an eating disorder.
Thirlwall rose to fame in British girl group Little Mix alongside Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson after the group was created on The X Factor UK. After Nelson, 34, left the band in 2020, the remaining members continued as a trio. They later went on a hiatus in 2022.
While speaking with The Guardian, Thirlwall mused that her old disordered eating thoughts frequently popped up during the band’s heyday.
“I didn’t think it at the time, but when I look back at photos of periods when I was quite unhappy, I think, ‘Wow, girlie, you were very, very thin,’” the Brit Award winner said. “The pattern was there. Historically, if I’ve ever felt that something is out of my control, then restricting food has been a means of controlling my life in a very toxic way.”
Thirlwall had previously been candid about how she was able to overcome her battle with anorexia.
“It got to the point when I knew I needed someone else to tell, harboring a horrible secret like that is obviously really damaging to your mental health and, obviously, my physical health,” she recalled on the BBC Sounds’ “Life Hacks” podcast in 2019. “The minute I started to actually talk to people about it was the minute I started to get better.”
Thirlwall sought treatment at a local hospital when she was 18 years old. Her discharge was approved several weeks before her audition for The X Factor.
If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website or call their hotline at +1 (866) 662-1235. Text “ALLIANCE” to 741741 for free, 24/7 support.
