Little Mix reveal they warned Jesy about blackfishing before she left the band

They spoke their mind.

Little Mix has broken their silence on the topic of "blackfishing" when it comes to their former bandmate Jesy Nelson. Revealing that they approached their former bandmate in a "very friendly, educational manner" in the past, Jade Thirlwall said that the issue was brought up before Jesy left the band. Jesy was subjected to criticism after her new video with Nicki Minaj was released last month, with many accusing her of blackfishing. Blackfishing is when a non-black person attempts to present themselves to appear black and benefit from the culture. At the time Jesy denied using fake tan and said she never intended to cause any offence. Speaking with The Sunday Telegraph, Jade said: "We don’t really want to dwell, because we have so much to celebrate as a three. "We’ve dealt with it in the best way that we know how, and got each other through it. "We don’t want to talk about the video, or be critical, but one thing we will clarify regarding the blackfishing situation is that Jesy was approached by the group in a very friendly, educational manner." The girls added that this conversation happened before Jesy left the band back in December of last year. Jesy previously spoke about the controversy after there were reports that Leigh Anne had warned her about blackfishing. Speaking with Nicki Minaj on an Instagram live, Jesy said: "It’s just hard for me because I was in a group with two women of colour for nine years and it was never brought up to me up until the last music video I did with them." Leigh Anne has spoken out about racism she has experienced over the years, particularly in her BBC documentary Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop And Power. She added to the Sunday Telegraph that capitalising on black culture "without having to endure the daily realities of the black experience" can be harmful to those of colour.