Little Mix alum Jade Thirlwall recently revealed she once had a fleeting romance with One Direction star Harry Styles.
During an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Thirlwall opened up about her short-lived connection with Styles, which began during their early days on The X Factor. "We went on, like, one date when we were 16 or something," she shared, noting that Styles had just been placed into the boyband that would later catapult him to global fame. At the time, Thirlwall didn’t make it past auditions and returned to the show the following year.
"It was really funny because we kept in touch, and then the minute they went on live shows, he didn’t message me back," Thirlwall recalled. "I thought, ‘That’s it now. He’s gone. He’s made it.’”
The two eventually reunited a year later when Thirlwall auditioned again and was grouped with Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock to form Little Mix. The groups later crossed paths on the show when Little Mix performed alongside One Direction.
"I made it the next year, and I saw him in a room after, and he was like, ‘I’m really sorry that I ignored you,’" Thirlwall remembered. When Louis Theroux asked if Styles had ghosted her, she laughed, "Yes, but I was so young it didn’t really matter."
Despite the teenage misstep, Thirlwall spoke warmly of Styles, saying, "He’s got himself to where he is because he’s very talented, very lovely, and very charming."
Both One Direction and Little Mix enjoyed meteoric success following their stints on The X Factor. One Direction, which came in third on the show’s 2010 season, became a global phenomenon, while Little Mix won the competition in 2011 and went on to become one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.
Their paths often intertwined, not just musically but romantically. Thirlwall wasn’t the only member of Little Mix to have ties to One Direction. Perrie Edwards famously dated Zayn Malik for four years, even getting engaged, before their split in 2015.
During her conversation with Theroux, Thirlwall also addressed the recent death of One Direction’s Liam Payne, who passed away on October 16 following a tragic fall at a hotel in Argentina.
While she was careful not to speculate too much, Thirlwall acknowledged the pressures of fame and their impact on young artists. "I think everyone who enters the industry at a young age is going to go through it in some way," she said. "It can be really lonely when you’re that huge. None of those boys could just go out and do whatever they wanted, being stuck in hotel rooms and having nothing to do."
Thirlwall reflected on her own experiences with Little Mix, admitting that the group’s most successful moments often came with personal struggles. "I think there’s so much pressure. The bigger you get, the more you’re conditioned to keep that up because if you come anywhere below that, you’re flopping," she said. "I definitely had moments of very severe depression and anxiety."
The pressures ultimately took their toll on Jesy Nelson, who left the group in 2020, citing mental health concerns. Little Mix continued as a trio before announcing a hiatus in 2022.
Despite the challenges, Thirlwall remains grateful for her journey with Little Mix and the lessons learned along the way. For her, these reflections serve as a reminder of the importance of mental health and support in the entertainment industry.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
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