15 Things You Didn't Know About Little Mix

Thanks to their recent controversial single "Shout Out To My Ex", it's pretty safe to assume that you've at least heard of Little Mix. The hot British girl group is made up of members Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Jesy Nelson and the band was formed back on The X Factor UK in 2011. These four lovely and talented ladies have been conquering the entertainment world with their anthems ever since. Some of the recent mega hits that these girls have brought to the airwaves include "Wings", "Hey How Ya Doin?", "Move" and "Black Magic"', and we're sure the tracks off their recently released album Glory Days are on their way to the top of the charts as we speak! In honor of their fabulous new record, we thought we'd give you the deets on the lesser-known side of the pop group. It's always fun to find out more about your fave celebs, right? Here are 15 things you probably didn't know about Little Mix.

15 They Had A Different Name

Now we all know them as Little Mix, but when the girls were grouped together on The X Factor, the execs decided to call them Rhythmix. We can see how this works, and we love the musical reference, but now that we know them as Little Mix, we wouldn't have it any other way! The girls originally liked their name, but there was already a children's charity called Rythmix, and rather than proceed with the name, the girls came up with their new one. Of course, the same thing happened to One Direction, when after leaving the show they found out that there was already a band by that name! Sucks for that band, huh? But unlike the 1D boys, Little Mix wanted to stay completely away from conflict as they tried to carve their path through the industry, and felt it was best to be totally unique from the beginning!

14 They Were The First Girl Group To Win 'The X Factor'

Girl power for the win! Little Mix ended up winning The X Factor in 2011, and it was a huge deal because they were actually the first all-girl group to do so. Unlike some groups, Little Mix actually entered the competition as solo acts and didn't even know each other. After being put in a few different groups, Jesy, Jade, Perrie and Leigh-Anne were put into Rythmix and as they say, history was made. Being grouped together saved the girls from going home and having their dreams seriously crushed, and if they had been more successful as soloists, then Little Mix would never have been formed! Sure, they might have had success as solo artists, but when you think about all the X Factor winners who don't really go on to do much, it's also possible that they could have totally flopped! So the lesson is that blessings do sometimes come in disguise.

13 The Girls Have Their Own Logo

Random fact: the Little Mix girls are actually represented by their own logo. Cool, right? The logo is made up of little squares which each symbolize one of the four ladies. Perrie's symbol is the flower, maybe because she's always described herself as the most boho of the group. Jade's is the bowtie, basically because she loves bowties. Seriously, any chance to wear a bowtie shirt, a bowtie necklace or the best-case scenario, a real bowtie, and Jade is all over it! Jesy's is the boombox, and that's clearly because she's known as the band member with the most swagger, the closest connections to hip hop and the talent to beatbox like it's nothing. Lastly, Leigh-Anne's symbol is the baseball cap. We're guessing it's because she's one of the most effortlessly cool and stylish chicks we've ever seen? The idea is that it takes all four girls to get the magic mixture!

12 Perrie And Jade Grew Up Close To Each Other

How weird is this: none of the girls had ever met prior to being grouped together on The X Factor, but Perrie and Jade only lived five minutes away from each other for years. They knew all the same people and went to all the same places in the coastal town of South Shields, England, but never crossed paths once! If they had met before 2011, maybe they would have seen their chemistry earlier and formed half of the group before even getting to the competition. But it is almost like the universe was saving up their meeting for their eventual X Factor union, which totally does your head in. And it makes you wonder whether you will really have to travel far and wide to find the people who are going to be important in your life, or whether they are secretly living down the street from you right now.

11 Jesy Hates Sandwiches

Did you know that Jesy hates sandwiches with a passion? Well, now you do! She had this to say about the delicious, carb-loaded pockets of fluffy goodness that improve all our lunchtimes: “I have a phobia of sandwiches! Everyone is like 'You're such a freak!' Basically, I just don't like slimy stuff in bread.” Look, we also could do without slimy sandwiches-the kind that your mom would pack for you when you were a kid and had been totally worn down by air and heat by the time that you'd get to them #vomit. But some sandwiches are just to die for, so we can't really relate to Jesy on this one. She's stated that she'd rather eat anything in the world than bread and butter, which confuses us because bread and butter is the ultimate "I'm having a cheat day" snack. Oh well. If you ever meet Jesy, just don't bring her Subway.

10 Leigh-Anne Worked At Pizza Hut

This fun fact is also super inspiring! Before Leigh-Anne found her place in Little Mix, she actually used to waitress at Pizza Hut. Born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, Leigh-Anne had to get a high school job just like everyone else. It's so refreshing to learn that pop stars worked before they got famous, mostly because we're sure that the hospitality life would have instilled in them a top work ethic and respect for other people still in the biz. Also, it's nice to know that wherever you're currently working now, you could still potentially become whoever the heck you want, just like Leigh did! Apparently, while working at Pizza Hut, Leigh-Anne used to sneak some of the dough into her bag and then cook it at home. Let's be honest, who wouldn't do that? She also enrolled at a theater school in London when she was a kid, and suffered from low confidence. Who knew?!

9 Jade Was Recently Suspected Of Substance Use

Jade is the bite-sized, super sweet, Disney Princess-ish one of the group, so the world just about turned upside down for Mixers (the girls' fan base) recently when Jade was suspected of using drugs. It all went down when Jade herself posted a video of her on Instagram making a few funny faces and acting a little strangely, accompanied by the caption 'when the jet lag gets to you'. Fans were quick to assume that Jade's behavior in the vid was clearly a sign that she was under some influence rather than just jetlagged, and posted endless comments on the video, which now has over 3,000. Some Mixers rushed to her defense while others wouldn't stop accusing her. We're thinking that since Jade posted it and made a joke of her own silly faces, she's probably innocent. If you were filmed while on drugs, would you repost it for your 2.7 million followers? We wouldn't!

8 Perrie Has No Sense Of Smell

Yep-you read that correctly! The lovely Perrie Edwards is totally without a sense of smell. The condition is called congenital anosmia and has affected her for her entire life. “People are always like, 'Oh, isn't that really horrible?' And I'm like, 'No because I've never known what it's like to smell,'" she has said of her lack of smelling abilities in the past. She does have a point since you can't miss something you've never had. But for us, having spent a lifetime enjoying whiffing all the perfumes we could get away with in department stores, that sounds pretty brutal. Imagine never getting to smell fresh flowers in spring or hot pizza in the oven. Thankfully, none of this has affected Perrie's ability to taste things (now THAT would be tragic). The bright side is that Pez never has to worry about standing next to someone smelly on a busy street.

7 They Were Criticized For Their Clothes

Since the U.K. and the rest of the world essentially watched the girls blossom from awkward school girls into beautiful pop stars on television, Little Mix has always been relatively popular and had an extremely strong and protective fan base. But they came under fire recently after their performance on The X Factor, where they debuted 'Shout Out to My Ex'. We thought the girls were looking smokin' in their leather boots and tight pink get-ups, but apparently, lots of people got their knickers in a knot about it. The girls received nasty comments from all over the globe about their choice of dress, insinuating that they're terrible role models for young girls and they should return to dressing in far less revealing costumes. Spice Girl Mel C a.k.a. Sporty Spice even labeled the girls as “too provocative”. So Little Mix has grown up, and it's reflected in their style. Big deal!

6 Jade Failed On 'The X Factor' Twice Before

We had to do a bit of digging to find this out, but Jade actually failed to succeed on The X Factor twice before being put in Rythmix the third time, and shooting to international stardom. Though she made it through the first round of auditions the first two times she was on the show, she never made it so far as to be televised. It doesn't get much more inspiring! Most people would have failed the first time and given up. A few would have gone back for one more shot and then decided for sure the singing thing wasn't for them when they got kicked out for the second time. But Jade was clearly determined, and believed in herself enough to know that this was totally for her! Jade's story is an amazing example of how the experts (in this case, the judges) don't always know what they're talking about.

5 Jesy Was Bullied

Need more proof that the Little Mix girls are total bullet-proof warriors? Okay! Jesy was the victim of bullying for years before being put into the group, and even for a while after. When she was younger, the bullying got so bad that she had to move schools five times. "I got picked on because I've always liked to dress different," she's said of her experience as a victim. "I've never really wanted to fit in with everyone else. But I like being individual. I think it's cool. I think the world would be boring if everyone looked the same.” Preach it, girl! Jesy had to face the bullies in the school yard growing up, but after she made it into the group, she received loads of hate online in the form of cyberbullying. The whole ordeal was so stressful for her that she even was sick with alopecia. Sounds like a complete nightmare.

4 Zayn Broke Up With Perrie Via Text

Unless you've been living under a heavy, heavy rock, you'll already know that Perrie was dating One Direction's Zayn Malik for four years before the two split in August 2015. They were even engaged, and Pez's whopper of a ring was the envy of girls all over the world. But after rumors circulated all year suggesting that Zayn had dumped Perrie over text, she confirmed them in Little Mix's book Our World. “It was horrible, the worst time in my life," she says in the book. "A four-year relationship, two-year engagement ended by a simple text message. Just like that. Even though things in my career were going really well, it was incredibly difficult for me." Zayn has denied doing the deed via text, stating he has way too much respect for his ex. Whatever happened, the angst between them resulted in our new fave hit song "Shout Out to My Ex."

3 They Have Different Ways Of Coping With Break Ups

So what did Perrie do to get through that very public ordeal? Stock up on her favorite ice cream! The girls recently revealed that they each have different ways of coping when their hearts are broken, and none of them are strangers to the old break up. We already know what happened with Perrie, but Jesy also had a hard year, having only just broken up with her fiancé, Jake Roche. Unlike Perrie, however, Jesy turns to exercise when her heart needs some mending. Bandmate Leigh-Anne is in the same boat, having split from her beau Jordan Kiffin in July 2016. Like Jesy, she also prefers to hit the gym rather than pig out after a breakup. Even though they react to their own breakups differently, the girls have stated that when one of them goes through something, they go through it as a team and support each other. Goals!

2 Perrie Is Dating A Football Player

If our sources are correct, Perrie has moved on from Zayn and a fling with actor Luke Pasqualino. She is now allegedly dating Arsenal footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. It is apparently very early days for the two, and nothing has been officially confirmed, but Pez has been spotted buying Arsenal fan merchandise at the club shop and watching him play at the Emirates Stadium. It's also been reported that the two have been on a few secret dates. Alex is said to be one of the nicest guys on the team, and utterly different from the type of guy Perrie is usually attracted to, so we hope that these rumors are true and that it works out for them! She definitely deserves someone amazing! Sources also state that they don't follow each other on social media because they still want to keep their relationship quiet-so much to think about when you're famous!

1 Jade Suffered From An Eating Issue

Though now she's a bundle of laughs and can always draw a smile out of her bandmates, Jade went through an incredibly difficult time when she was younger and developed anorexia. Opening up about it in Little Mix's new autobiography, Jade stated that so much was going on in her life, including the death of a family member, bullying and other problems at home, and it all led to her eating disorder. Things got so terrible that Jade was actually hospitalized, and had to attend therapy sessions in order to get better. Thankfully nowadays, Jade seems to be doing much better and is looking healthy and glowing! Her story definitely makes you realize that even celebrities go through terrible times and have faced scary challenges in the past. At least she got through it, and we can continue singing along to Little Mix with our hairbrushes when we're home alone!