When we first glimpsed pictures of Jesy Nelson and Chris Hughes playing tonsil tennis in a London kebab shop last year, we thought it was probably just a fling. But the pair fell head over heels for each other and were soon talking about marriage. So it came as a shock last week when we found out the couple had called it a day after 16 months together - and it was Jesy who pulled the plug, because she felt things had fizzled out.
A source said, "She split up with him last week in a phone call, as she thought the relationship had run its course. There are no hard feelings. Jesy said he was surprisingly fine about it and thinks she will stay friends with him."
At the time of going to press, neither Jesy nor Chris had commented on the split, but the Little Mix singer had admitted they had decided to isolate separately.
CHECK OUT Jesy Nelson and Chris Hughes' relationship from the start
Chris Hughes and Jesy Nelson's relationship timeline
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.
"Chris isn't with me right now because he is in isolation with his flatmate, so I haven't seen him for a while,” the 28 year old revealed in an interview.
Ironically, the split comes just after Little Mix’s new single, Break Up Song was released, and Jesy had even joked about blasting it in her house and annoying her neighbours.
Jesy and Chris shared a lot of their relationship online with fans and often attended showbiz events together.
The couple had a dramatic night out at the National Television Awards back in January. After celebrating an emotional win for Jesy’s documentary, Odd One Out,Chris became embroiled in a brawl with a photographer– prompting police to investigate claims of assault and criminal damage.
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At the time, Chris, 27, shared a statement apologising to fans as well as his girlfriend. He wrote, “This night was about Jesy’s win and I am sorry if I distracted anyone from this. Ultimately, I’m the proudest boyfriend ever and want to congratulate my amazing girlfriend for a deserving win. I am very proud of you.”
Jesy did not publicly respond to the apology, but later shared a picture of the pair on the red carpet, captioned with a heart emoji.
Both Jesy and Chris had openly discussed marriage and having a family in recent months. Last year Chris admitted, “I’m ready to settle down” while just last month Jesy said, “I definitely want to get married, that's for sure. When that will be, I don't know. Hopefully soon!”
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