Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson Making BBC Documentary About Mental Health and Body Image
Little Mix star Jesy Nelson is making a one-off documentary for the BBC in which she will explore issues surrounding body shaming and mental health in the age of social media. “Jesy Nelson: My Story” will launch on the BBC’s youth-skewed online channel BBC Three and then play on BBC One.
Girl band Little Mix have achieved worldwide success and Nelson announced the project, appropriately, in an Instagram post that notched over 100,000 views shortly after it went up.
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There is a live debate in the U.K. surrounding mental health and Nelson highlighted statistics that shows a significant proportion of people will suffer mental health issues at some point in their lives. “It’s a subject I personally think we don’t speak about enough and I’m making this film because I really, really want to make a change and difference to other people’s lives,” she said in her Instagram post.
The star has herself been in spotlight and under intense media for the past seven years since Little Mix won “X Factor” and became a breakout success. The producers said she will bring that unique insight to the documentary and share her personal experiences, as well as talking to young people who have been affected.
“As a young female in a successful girl band where intense scrutiny from the public is the norm, Jesy offers a unique perspective on the impact social media can have on an individual and their mental health,” said Fiona Campbell, controller of BBC Three.
David Brindley, head of commissioning, popular factual and factual entertainment at the BBC, added: “We hope her encounters whilst making the documentary will be helpful both to her and millions of others around the country who are going through similar experiences.”
U.K. banner October Films is producing. Adam Goodall will direct. The executive producers are Richard Cook, Adam Bullmore and Matt Robins and the producer is Candace Davies.
Robins said: “Jesy’s willingness to share her experiences and convey her feelings is beyond impressive. Her journey will change the conversation around mental health in this country and touch hearts around the globe.”
A post shared by @ jesynelson on Mar 20, 2019 at 1:00am PDT
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