PERRIE Edwards has opened up about her tough public split from Zayn Malik – and how she ended up in hospital when the pressure of Little Mix became too much.
The singer found fame in Little Mix alongside Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwell back in 2011, with the group forming and later winning X Factor.
Perrie and Zayn’s relationship played out in the public eyeCredit: Instagram
Perrie speaks about her experience in Little Mix in the new BBC documentaryCredit: Supplied
Perrie shot to fame as part of Little Mix after winning X Factor in 2011Credit: Getty
But as the band grew, so did public attention on the band, which was made worse by the rise in popularity of social media.
Perrie faced brutal trolling online, which began to take a toll on her mental health, which only got worse dating One Direction star Zayn Malik in 2013,
Speaking about her experience on new BBC documentary series Girlbands Forever, Perrie opened up about the time period and said: “Social media was dark, especially back in the day. It used to really hurt.
“We all felt like that. Me and the girls got a lot of stick.”
Zayn and Perrie would later get engaged, dividing people online who would share their thoughts, but they would call it quits and split in 2015.
Again, fans swarmed Twitter to share their thoughts on the relationship, which proved tough for Perrie.
“You’re hurting enough as it is, let alone everyone having an opinion about you,” she told the cameras.
“Everyone wants to know your business and feels like they have ownership in that, you can’t escape it so you may as well just sing about it.”
Little Mix later released Shout Out To My Ex – their biggest hit to date at the time – on the back of Perrie’s break-up, with the lyrics blatantly alluding to what went on.
While Perrie remembers it as a “pivotal moment for the band”, she maintains it was “hard to deal with publicly” despite putting on a brave face.
“It just hurt and I went through a lot behind the scenes. It has a huge impact on your mental health,” she said.
Things would ultimately climax in 2017 while, when performing in Las Vegas with the band, things got too much for her and she started having panic attacks.
“I didn’t know what was happening at the time, I didn’t know what anxiety was. I ended up in hospital,” she explained before breaking down in tears.
“I didn’t want to let the girls down, I didn’t want to upset them. They had to do it without me and I hated it and really resented myself for it.”
“When you’re in a group dynamic, even though you’re going through stuff individually you can’t really be selfish,” she added. “So I tried to put on a brave face.”
Little Mix would ultimately stick together until 2022, two years after Jesy Nelson left the band in December 2020 citing her own mental health.
The girls remain close, with Perrie, Jade and Leigh-Anne all pursuing successful solo careers and starting families. was released in September.
Perrie is now engaged to footballer and has three-year-old son, Axel.
In September, , and has since been seen dancing with Leigh-Anne at Jade’s concert with her baby bump on display.
Perrie suffered brutal trolling at the hands of One Direction fans while dating Zayn from 2013 to 2015Credit: Splash News
The star remembered ending up in hospital as the pressure of the band got too muchCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
The band have been in an extended hiatus since 2022Credit: Getty
Perrie is now a solo performer and continues to make musicCredit: Splash
Perrie is now mum to three-year-old Axel with fiance Alex Oxlade-ChamberlainCredit: Instagram 
