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Chris Hughes has publicly spoken out in support of his ex-girlfriend Jesy Nelson after she announced she was leaving Little Mix after nine years in the band.
Jesy revealed that she was quitting the group due to the “toll” that it had taken on her mental health and was inundated with messages wishing her well from fans and their supporters, one of which was the Love Island star.
Chris and Jesy parted ways earlier this year after 14 months together, and she’s since moved on with Our Girl actor Sean Sagar, but the reality star proved there’s no bad blood between them.
Chris, 27, left a sweet comment under Jesy’s emotional Instagram statement as he wrote, “The best ❤️.”
Also among those sharing support for Jesy was The X Factor host Dermot O’Leary, who wrote, “Big love Jesy x.”
While former TOWIE star Lauren Pope added, “Lots of love, health always come first ❤️❤️❤️.”
CHECK OUT Chris Hughes and Jesy Nelson's relationship from the start
Chris Hughes and Jesy Nelson's relationship timeline slider
1 of 15January 2019
In January 2019, Jesy was papped giving Love Island 2017 star Chris Hughes a cheeky little snog... In a KEBAB shop! From that moment, rumours that the pair were dating were rife.
2 of 15March 2019
After weeks of rumours that Jesy and Chris were dating, the pair confirmed their romance during a trip to Ireland, posting this cosy snap to their socials.Although the pair briefly split after just three weeks of dating, they quickly rekindled their romance.
3 of 15March 2019
Since that moment, Jesy and Chris haven't been shy in expressing their love for each other, with Chris calling Jesy his 'girlfriend' during a radio interview in March 2019. Chris gushed over his new love, saying, "I'm the happiest I've ever been. It's official, she's my girlfriend. I'm so happy, she's the nicest girl I've ever met, this is no exaggeration, she's got a heart like she was your mother or something. She's so caring. We just get on like best mates, and that's the beauty about it."
4 of 15April 2019
Showing he's the best supportive boyfriend, Chris started to join Jesy at some of her Little Mix interviews, as well as posting cute snaps on social media.
5 of 15May 2019
With their relationship going well, Jesy and Chris enjoyed their first Summer together, with the pair going on romantic bike rides and enjoying each other's company.
6 of 15June 2019
In June, Chris and Jesy went on their first overseas holiday, with Chris writing on Instagram, 'Off on holiday, with my best friend ud83dudda4✈ufe0f Miss JH'.
7 of 15June 2019
Later in the month, Chris showed his love to Jesy by paying tribute to her on her birthday. Sharing a cute photo on social media, Chris wrote, 'Happy birthday to a best friend, my better half and the most caring person I could have wished to meet,' he wrote, along with a gallery of four photos of them together. 'Every day is better now. The fact I love you when I'm hungry says it all. The core to my ud83cudf4f... have the best day and keep on shining, you deserve the world ud83cudf0dud83dudda4 x' [sic]
8 of 15August 2019
After nine months of dating, Jesy sparked engagement rumours by calling Chris her 'future husband'. Sharing a video of Chris playing up to the camera, Jesy captioned the video, 'My future husband'.
9 of 15August 2019
Later that month, Jesy and Chris enjoyed their second holiday together, this time taking a trip to Bali! The pair delighted fans with loved-up posts throughout the trip, with many calling them 'goals'.
10 of 15September 2019
When Jesy's BBC documentary 'Odd One Out' aired, fans of the singer were left with melted hearts after seeing how sweet Chris is towards his girlfriend. Chris revealed on the show that he has a make-up free photo of Jesy on his fridge, which he often goes to look at without her knowing.
11 of 15October 2019
Chris attended the Pride of Britain awards in October, where he gushed about his girl. When we asked what his proudest moment of the year was, he sweetly replied that it was when he asked Jesy to be his girlfriend! Aww! "That was a nice moment. She's just wonderful, we're best friends - we spend so much time together."
12 of 15October 2019
Chris later joined Jesy and the rest of the Little Mix girls on their UK tour, where he even stepped in for Jade when she was sick during rehearsals!
13 of 15November 2019
Chris broke down in tears during an interview on This Morning, whilst discussing the shocking online abuse Jesy has received in the past. He said, "She rang me, bless her, about 10 minutes after the documentary aired and she was just so overwhelmed and she just broke down on the phone to me. She's a strong girl now, she's extremely strong."Visibly upset, Chris then added, "I don't know why, but I get so emotional when I'm speaking about it."
14 of 152019: Chris Hughes
On 17th January 2020, Jesy and Chris celebrated their one-year anniversary! The pair shared a number of cute photos with each other, with Chris calling Jesy his 'Queen'.
15 of 15April 2020
In April 2020 the pair split. The following month, Jesy deleted all traces of Chris from her Instagram account.
This isn’t the first time that Chris has publicly mentioned Jesy since their split as he shared his support when Little Mix: The Search launched and defended her when she was trolled by Katie Hopkins.
Speaking out about their break-up on Vicky Pattison’s The Secret To podcast, Chris said, “It was tough. Time’s a healer, you don’t believe it when you’re in the moment. I don’t think I’ve ever felt heartbroken or anything. And then a couple of weeks down the line, you start thinking about it less and less. And the next thing, you’re good as gold.”
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In the emotional statement announcing her departure from Little Mix, Jesy thanked her bandmates Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, as well as their fans.
She wrote, “The past nine years in Little Mix has been the most incredible time of my life. We have achieved things I never thought possible. From winning our first Brit Award to our sold out shows at the O2. Making friends and fans all over the world I can’t thank you all enough from the bottom of my heart for making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. You have always been there to support and encourage me and I will never ever forget it.
“The truth is recently being in the band has really taken its toll on my mental health. I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard. There comes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking care of ourselves rather than focussing on making other people happy, and I feel like now is the time to begin that process. So after much consideration and with a heavy heart, I’m announcing I’m leaving Little Mix.”