When a group of girls spend a large amount of time together, the result is often lifetime friendships. But in some cases, it’s tension. In the cases of our favourite girl bands, tension is never a good thing, and has led to some of the most shocking rifts in pop music history. So while all is well right now with Lisa, Jisoo, Rosé and Jennie in the world of Blackpink , don’t be completely surprised if there’s a line-up change in the future. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time the world’s biggest girl band saw one of its members walk out on them. Here’s the most dramatic girl group departures we didn’t see coming. Why Twice have the most fateful origins story in K-pop Little Mix: Jesy Nelson’s mental health battle View this post on Instagram A post shared by @jesynelson Pop fans are still in shock after Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson announced her departure from the UK The X Factor ’s award-winning group on Monday (December 14). The singer blamed the pressures of the industry for her decision to leave the band, explaining that it has affected her mental health. She posted on social media: “The truth is recently being in the band has really taken a toll on my mental health. I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard.” Video: Inside Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s US$24m home, now for sale She continued: “There comes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking care of ourselves rather than focusing on making other people happy, and I feel like now is the time to begin that process.” After nearly a decade together, the remaining Little Mix members have said they support Nelson’s decision. They penned on both Instagram and Twitter: “After an amazing nine years together Jesy has made the decision to leave Little Mix. This is an incredibly sad time for all of us but we are fully supportive of Jesy. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Little Mix (@littlemix) Who is Melania Trump’s devoted artist sister, Ines Knauss? “We love her very much and agree that it is so important that she does what is right for her mental health and well-being,” they posted on Instagram. So is this the end of Little Mix? Not so fast. Jade, Perrie and Leigh-Anne have vowed to carry on, saying: “We are still very much enjoying our Little Mix journey and the three of us are not ready for it to be over. We know that Jesy leaving the group is going to be really upsetting news for our fans.” Fifth Harmony: Camila Cabello outshines her bandmates Fifth Harmony made us want to Work from Home before we even knew what that meant (geddit?!), but it turns out member Camila Cabello wanted to go freelance instead. Covid-19 and K-pop: 7 idols who tested positive In the case of US The X Factor ’s biggest girl band, tension started when Cabello started working on solo music and received more attention than her bandmates. In December 2016, the remaining members announced in a statement: “After four and a half years of being together, we have been informed via her representative that Cabello has decided to leave Fifth Harmony”. Ouch, she didn’t even tell them herself! In an interview with The New York Times , Cabello explained that she felt forced out of the band over her passion to create her own music. Since then she’s had a string of hits and bagged herself Shawn Mendes , while the group eventually announced an “indefinite hiatus” in March 2018. How does Blackpink singer Jisoo like to spend her millions? Spice Girls: Geri Halliwell sends a generation into depression An exaggeration, perhaps, but not entirely untrue. Because when “Ginger Spice” Geri Halliwell announced her departure from the world’s biggest girl band in May 1998 during the height of their world domination, fans were devastated. So much so, that there was a rise in calls to depression and suicide call hotlines in the UK. Yes, no other girl band exit has ever been as dramatic as that of Geri Halliwell, who left the Spice Girls herself due to depression and differences between members of the group. With her face over the band’s countless million-dollar endorsements and in the middle of a world tour, Geri’s departure was the first time a girl band rift became front page news around the world. From Pepsi to two-tone hair: 8 ways Blackpink remind us of the Spice Girls The Spice Girls continued without their Ginger for one more album in 2001, before taking an indefinite break to focus on their solo music. At the time, Geri became an instant solo success, with her first single Look At Me heading straight to No 1 in the charts – the first of a handful of hits, before her solo career eventually dwindled. Fortunately for Spice Girls fans, wounds heal, and Geri reunited with the group for sell-out tours in 2007 and 2019. Because friendship never ends, right? Spice Girls (again): Victoria Beckham outgrows her pop music past The trauma didn’t end in 1998 when Ginger ditched the Spice Girls. In 2019, fans’ wounds were ripped right open when Victoria Beckham announced she was hanging her mic up for good and not joining the band on their “Spice World – 2019 Tour” tour. In an interview with Vogue Germany , Posh Spice said it took a lot for her to not join her bandmates. No dating, no phones, no food? The rules K-pop idols live by “It took me a lot of courage not to go on tour with the Spice Girls again, but to be the one who says: ‘You know, I’m not doing it because things feel different now than they used to’,” she explained. Victoria said her priorities had changed, adding: “I’d rather concentrate on my family and my company . I’m 45 now and very happy to be the woman I am.” Fortunately, the Spice Girls went on to sell out a 13-night stadium tour in the UK, with rumours of a 25th anniversary in the pipeline for 2021. F(x): Sulli’s death shines a light on the dark side of K-pop Sulli’s big break was as a member of F(x), a five-piece K-pop girl group, formed in 2009 by SM Entertainment. Along with bandmates Krystal , Victoria, Luna and Amber, the group launched into the music scene that year with the single La Cha Ta . The quintet’s later dance-pop hits including Electric Shock , in 2012, and Rum Pum Pum Pum in 2013, cemented F(x) as a mainstay in the K-pop genre. As F(x)’s popularity increased, cracks within the group began to surface. In 2014, Sulli announced a hiatus from the band, citing exhaustion from online trolling and misinformation. In August 2015, she left the band to devote more attention to acting pursuits. Remembering Shinee’s Jonghyun, three years on But things took a dark turn in 2019 when 25-year-old Sulli was found dead in her flat on October 14. Police confirmed that she had hanged herself and was discovered at a house in Seongnam, south of Seoul, by her manager. If you are having suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter . 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