Women who used to have a certain appearance are subject to a specific type of cruelty. More than most, Jade Thirlwall is aware of this. The pop star, who was born in South Shields, spent years in Little Mix, one of the most popular girl groups in British history, under such harsh scrutiny that, amazingly, she survived. The criticism hasn’t stopped now that she’s a solo artist creating something wholly original. Simply put, the targets have changed. People are discussing her weight these days.
When it comes to how that feels, Thirlwall has been refreshingly, almost uncomfortably, honest. “I have a daily battle with myself not to go on Ozempic,” she said in an interview with The Guardian last year. This is something that many celebrities in her position secretly think but seldom say aloud.
Admitting it is a striking thing. In the entertainment industry, the weight-loss drug has become somewhat of an open secret, and the majority of well-known people either deny using it or remain silent. Thirlwall opted for a third route: being open about her struggle, which was motivated by a very particular and intimate reason for her refusal.
After receiving treatment for anorexia, she had only been out of the hospital for a few months when she tried out for The X Factor in 2011 at the age of 18. That context is very important. Thirlwall has talked about how, at times in her life, limiting her food intake became a way for her to control anything when everything else seemed chaotic.
“In the past, restricting food has been a very toxic way for me to control my life if I’ve ever felt that something is out of my control,” she stated. In that sense, Ozempic is more than just a medication that helps her lose weight. It could lead her back into a pattern from which she has struggled to break free.
The fact that the weight gain people have been commenting on isn’t necessarily what it looks like makes her situation more intricate and fascinating. Thirlwall disclosed on TikTok in September 2026 that she suffers from retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction, a rare condition in which burping is physically impossible due to improper relaxation of the cricopharyngeus muscle at the top of the esophagus.
Trapped air, severe bloating, and a body that changes in appearance depending on the day, meal, and time of day are the outcomes. She wrote, “It’s caused issues my entire life, and I’m so sick of people making comments about my body onstage when I’m just bloated af.” It’s possible that a significant amount of the public conversation surrounding her appearance has been entirely misguided, with people attributing dietary and lifestyle presumptions to something that was always medical.
It’s difficult to ignore how frequently female pop stars are expected to remain frozen at the age at which their fan base first fell in love with them. Thirlwall has admitted to gaining weight since her Little Mix tour days, and she even laughed about it while looking through vintage LM5 costumes.
However, a woman who is at ease with the way her body has changed and a woman who feels compelled to explain herself to strangers on the internet are very different. She is neither an inspirational transformation arc nor a cautionary tale. She is simply a person whose body has changed, as bodies do, for reasons that are complex, personal, and mostly unrelated to us.
Observing this develop over the past few years gives the impression that Thirlwall has reached a state of something approaching peace. This isn’t because the remarks have stopped, but rather because she has stopped pretending they don’t affect her while also refusing to let them dictate her decisions. She is currently touring in support of her first solo album, establishing a career that is uniquely her own.
The fact that she is performing, writing, and releasing music while dealing with a medical condition, a history of eating disorders, and constant online criticism about her appearance is either evidence of her resiliency or a critique of the expectations placed on female artists. Most likely both.
The public’s obsession with Jade Thirlwall’s weight gain says more about pop culture’s uneasy attitude toward women’s bodies than it does about her. During Little Mix, she was supposed to be small. It is now expected of her to explain why she isn’t. The version of this story that is fixated on the numbers is the least fascinating.
The more truthful version tells the story of a woman who, at the age of 18, nearly lost herself due to an eating disorder. She overcame it, created something remarkable, and is currently navigating her thirties on her own terms, complete with daily struggles, rare conditions, and bloating.
FAQs
1. Why has Jade Thirlwall gained weight?
Her weight changes are partly linked to a rare medical condition causing severe bloating.
2. What is Jade Thirlwall’s rare medical condition?
She has retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction, which prevents her from burping.
3. Why won’t Jade Thirlwall take Ozempic?
Her history of anorexia makes the drug too risky for her to consider.
4. Did Jade Thirlwall have an eating disorder?
Yes, she was treated for anorexia before auditioning for The X Factor in 2011.
5. How has Jade responded to body comments online?
She’s spoken out publicly, refusing to apologise while admitting the scrutiny is a daily battle.