Liam Payne and Rag'n'Bone Man reached out to Jesy Nelson after she quit Little Mix

Asked if anyone surprising got in touch when she quit the group, Jesy told the new issue of Britain's Cosmopolitan magazine: "So many people.

Liam Payne from One Direction.

"And Rag’n’Bone Man messaged me and said,'I just watched your documentary and it’s helped me so much. I think you’re brilliant.'

"I didn’t see it as brave, but people were saying, 'Do you know how brave you are for doing that? You’re going to show so many girls that they can do whatever they want and if they want to make themselves happy, they can.'

"You’ve got to have faith that it’s going to be alright and not let fear get in the way."

Jesy admitted her confidence hit rock bottom in the group and she feels "free" now that she is no longer constantly comparing herself to bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards.

She said: "Now I’m on my own, I can genuinely wear what I want to wear.

Before, I was wearing what I thought I should wear, because I was too frightened to wear certain things in case I looked bigger than the others.

"I’d wear corsets and s*** like that to make myself look the size they were. Now, I’m not looking at the screen thinking, 'Oh my god, I don’t look as good as them.' I feel free.

"This is genuinely not an exaggeration – before I got into the band, I would have said on a scale of [one to] 10, I was a nine or 10. I had no insecurities, I never looked at myself and said, 'I don’t like that.'

When I got in the band, my confidence was zero.

"Once I got older and I learned not to care as much, I probably got to a 4.5. And then I’d say now I’ve left, I’m a solid 8.5."

The 'Black Magic' hitmaker is currently in the studio working on solo material and she suggested the songs she releases will be different to the music she made with the band.

She said: "Music is my life. It’s so powerful for me. I’m in the studio just having fun. I loved the music I made with Little Mix, but it wasn’t the kind of music I listen to. It just feels so nice to be making music that I love. I don’t know when I’m going to bring it out. I feel really content and happy. It’s the weirdest, best feeling in the world."

The June issue of Cosmopolitan is on sale from May 6, and Jesy's full interview can be found at http://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/JesyNelson