Perrie Edwards admits she 'can't cope' with 'dark side of fame' that people don’t see
by Phoebe Jobling · Manchester Evening NewsLittle Mix singer Perrie Edwards has admitted she 'can't cope' with panic attacks which come as a result of the 'dark side of fame'. The girl band member, who is currently releasing music as a solo artist, opened up on her struggles in a recent interview with TV presenter Fearne Cotton.
Speaking on her Fearne's Happy Place podcast, Perrie, 31, admitted she could not believe former One Direction singer Liam Payne’s 'heartbreaking' death was 'real' and that it was 'very close to home'.
It comes as Liam died aged 31 after falling from the third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, earlier this month and was found dead at the scene by police officers and emergency services.
Perrie said Little Mix had a 'relationship' with the singer’s former band One Direction, after winning series eight of The X Factor in 2011, a year after the boy band was formed on the show and finished third.
The mum-of-one said Liam's death was 'absolutely devastating' as she told Fearne: "I think it just feels weird, it’s just so sad. It’s so heartbreaking, and my heart honestly hurts for his family, his friends, Cheryl, his little boy.
“It’s just absolutely devastating, and I can’t even imagine how they must be feeling right now. I didn’t think it was real when I read it, and it’s a very weird space, and I think it’s in the air, everyone can feel it, it’s really sad.
“Us girls were messaging, and I think Leigh-Anne (Pinnock, fellow Little Mix member) was like, ‘it’s very close to home’, our careers were very aligned.
“We had a relationship with them (One Direction), and it’s honestly so sad, like it made my body feel weird when I saw the headlines, I was like that can’t be real. It shakes you up, it’s just blooming awful, and all of our hearts go out to to his family. It’s an unthinkable thing to have to go through.”
Fearne, 43, then asked Perrie what she felt the “cost of fame” had been for her, and the singer went on to explain that fame was the 'dark side' of success.
(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Perrie then explained: “Success is completely different to fame, and I think success is lovely, it’s joyful, it’s like you’re doing what you love and you’re benefiting from it, and you get all these lovely things, and it feels great.
“But then the fame is like the awful side of it, it’s like the dark side of it that I think people don’t really see. I was like, I want to be a famous pop star, I want to sign autographs, and everybody to know who I am, and I want to be a household name.
“But you don’t think of the things that come with that, and it’s hard, and it’s really intense, but I think that’s why I try and surround myself with as many people as I can, that just make me feel good when I’m feeling crap."
Addressing her struggles with panic attacks, Perrie then admitted: "My therapist bless her, I bring her with me to work sometimes, because I literally can’t cope with the panic attacks and stuff.”
Perrie rose to fame as a member of Little Mix, alongside Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Jesy Nelson, who were formed on The X Factor after initially auditioning as solo acts and going on to become the first girl group to win the ITV talent show.
The band is currently on a break as Perrie, Leigh-Anne and Jade are all perusing solo career, with Jesy having left the group in 2020 citing mental health struggles.
Perrie released her first solo singles Forget About Us, Tears and You Go Your Way this year, and is planning to release her debut solo album soon.