[ad_1]
They shot to fame after winning the X-factor in 2011 and have since gone from strength to strength with chart-topping singles including Shout Out To My Ex and Sweet Melody.
And Little Mix made chart history as they became the first girl group to score 100 collective weeks in the Top 10 Official Singles Chart on Friday.
The pop group, made up of Perrie Edwards, 28, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 29, and Jade Thirwall, 28, hit the landmark with their latest single Heartbreak Anthem in collaboration with Galantis and David Guetta.
Sweet Melody: Little Mix made chart history as they became the first girl group to score 100 collective weeks in the Top 10 Singles Chart on Friday (pictured in May at the Brit Awards)
After the achievement, Leigh-Anne told Little Mix fans on Official Charts: ‘Wow! It’s amazing, and we wouldn’t have done this without you guys.
‘You never fail to blow us away – you’re just incredible and we wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you.’
A collective 100 weeks in the Top 10 far exceeds any other girl group in UK chart history.
Girls Aloud were the closest to hitting the landmark with 61 weeks in the singles chart, with iconic Motown group The Supremes just behind with 59 weeks.
Humble beginnings: Little Mix shot to fame when they won the X-factor in 2011 (pictured on the show with their former bandmate Jesy Nelson (far right) and their mentor Tulisa (centre)
And even the iconic British girl power group Spice Girls couldn’t hit the record as they only managed 50 weeks in the top 10 singles chart.
Little Mix have landed 18 UK top 10 singles to date, including five number ones – with Sweet Melody topping the charts most recently in January this year.
The landmark comes after it was reported that the show that launched their career, the X factor, had been axed on Wednesday evening.
Simon Cowell, 61, allegedly pulled the plug on the ITV talent show – which launched in 2004 and last aired in 2018 – because he didn’t want the programme to ‘become a bit of a joke.’
Wannabe: Even the Spice Girls couldn’t hit Little Mix’s record as they only managed 50 weeks in the top 10 singles chart (pictured Mel B, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell together in 1996)
High pressure: Jesy Nelson recently quit the band to help her mental health after the pressure of being in the group started to take its ‘toll’ on her (pictured on the X factor in 2017)
While around the world the format is still successful, it seems Simon has accepted in the UK ‘it has become slightly stale’ and so has reportedly decided to ‘shelve it’ for five years, but sources are claiming it’s now ‘unlikely’ to ever return.
The decision to axe the show comes hot on the heels of former contestants hitting out against the British music industry for ‘exploiting’ and treating them like ‘cattle’ since their overnight rise to fame.
Jesy Nelson announced she had quit Little Mix last December and revealed being in the band had impacted her mental health.
‘To all my Mixers, the past nine years in Little Mix has been the most incredible time of my life,’ Jesy told her fans as she looked back on her time in the band
She wrote: ‘To all my Mixers, the past nine years in Little Mix has been the most incredible time of my life.
‘We have achieved things I never thought possible. From winning our first Brit Award to our sold out shows at the O2.
‘Making friends and fans all over the world I can’t thank you all enough from the bottom of my heart for making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
‘You have always been there to support and encourage me and I will never ever forget it.
‘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.
‘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.
‘So after much consideration and with a heavy heart, I’m announcing I’m leaving Little Mix.’
Leigh-Anne, Perrie, and Jade have since continued smashing chart and award show records as a trio.
Trio: Leigh-Anne, Perrie, and Jade have since continued smashing chart and award show records as a group of three (pictured in November)
THE X FACTOR: WHERE ARE THE CONTESTANTS NOW?
One Direction: Post-X Factor, the group became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time
ONE DIRECTION
Ages: 27-29
Year they appeared: 2010
Where did they finish?: Third place
What are they up to now?: 1D went on to worldwide fame and became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, selling 70 million records worldwide. Zayn Malik left the group in 2015 and the rest of the band parted ways in 2016. All members are now soloists.
Little Mix: They were the first group to ever win the show, tutored by Tulisa, and have since sky-rocketed to fame
LITTLE MIX
Ages: 28-30
Year they appeared: 2011
Where did they finish?: Winners
What are they up to now?: After becoming the first-ever group to win the show, Little Mix sold over 60 million records worldwide, making them one of the biggest selling girl groups of all time. Six albums later, Jesy Nelson left in 2020, with the other three still continuing in the band.
Shayne Ward: The 2005 winner of the X Factor went on to star in Coronation Street
SHAYNE WARD
Age: 36
Year they appeared: 2005
Where did they finish?: Winner
What are they up to now?: After releasing a hit album and several singers after his The X Factor win, Shayne went on to pursue an acting career and starred as Aidan Connor in Coronation Street from 2015 to 2018.
Rhydian Roberts: The 2007 X Factor runner-up, losing out to Steve Brookstein
RHYDIAN ROBERTS
Age: 38
Year they appeared: 2007
Where did they finish?: Second place
What are they up to now?: Rhydian has released several albums since The X Factor and has gone on many tours. He has also does a lot of pantomime work.
Diana Vickers: Diana reached the semi-finals of the singing competition in 2008
DIANA VICKERS
Age: 29
Year they appeared: 2008
Where did they finish?: Semi-finalist
What are they up to now?: Diana had a number-one debut single, Once, in 2010. She has also released two albums. The singer has gone on to pursue an acting career – starring in TV show, Give Out Girls, and movie, The Perfect Wave.
Jedward: The twins with iconic hairstyles forged successful careers in the limelight
JEDWARD
Ages: 29
Year they appeared: 2009
Where did they finish?: Sixth place
What are they up to now?: The duo have released three albums, including the hit single Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby). They also represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 and 2012. They have gone on to have TV careers, presenting their own children’s television series and appearing on Celebrity Big Brother.
James Arthur: 2012 X Factor winner James Arthur still regularly appears in the charts
JAMES ARTHUR
Ages: 33
Year they appeared: 2012
Where did they finish?: Winner
What are they up to now?: He released a number-one single, Impossible, after his win. He has gone on to release a self-titled album as well as several singles. In 2018, he returned to The X Factor to due with Anne-Marie.
Honey G: Honey G came fifth in 2016 with her parody act
HONEY G
Age: 40
Year they appeared: 2016
Where did they finish?: Fifth place
What are they up to now?: In December, Honey G revealed that she had been fired from her estate agent job after just 40 days, because her bosses deemed her ‘too famous.’
Christopher Maloney: The scouse crooner came third in the 2012 series
CHRISTOPHER MALONEY
Age: 43
Year they appeared: 2012
Where did they finish?: Third place
What are they up to now?: In 2014 Christopher opened a performing arts school in Liverpool, and went on to appear in Celebrity Big Brother in 2016
Wagner: Brazilian-born English singer Wagner came sixth in the 2012 series
WAGNER
Age: 64
Year they appeared: 2012
Where did they finish?: Sixth place
What are they up to now?: In 2012, Wagner revealed he was having a baby with his then 20-year-old girlfriend.
Katie Waissel: The singer took eight place in the 2010 series of The X Factor
KATIE WAISSEL
Age: 35
Year they appeared: 2010
Where did they finish?: Eighth place
What are they up to now?: In July 2018, Katie gave birth to her son Hudson. She describes herself as a writer and brand strategist, and has since trained to be a fitness instructor.
Sam Bailey: The mother-of-three regularly performs in pantomimes
SAM BAILEY
Age: 43
Year they appeared: 2013
Where did they finish?: Winner
What are they up to now?: The mother-of-three supported Beyoncé on one of her UK tour dates in 2014. Sam regularly performs in pantomimes
Alexandra Burke: The singer won the show in 2008
ALEXANDRA BURKE
Age: 32
Year they appeared: 2008
Where did they finish?: Winner
What are they up to now?: Alexandra won the show – famously duetting with Beyoncé in the finale. She has since released three studio albums, has competed on Strictly Come Dancing and is starring in the West End in Joseph.
JLS: The boy band made the finale but lost out to Alexandra Burke
JLS
Ages: 33-36
Year they appeared: 2008
Where did they finish?: Runners-up
What are they up to now?: The band came in second place yet hit the charts less than a year later with debut single Beat Again. They released four albums and and a Greatest Hits in 2013. They split that year but announced a comeback in 2020.
Mart Byrne: Mary made the semi-final
MARY BYRNE
Age: 36
Year they appeared: 2010
Where did they finish?: Fifth place
What are they up to now?: Mary went on to record four albums, the most recent released in 2017. In November 2011, she released an autobiography. She still performs and lost five stone last year.
Stacey Solomon: Stacey is now a TV host
STACEY SOLOMON
Age: 31
Year they appeared: 2009
Where did they finish?: Third place
What are they up to now?: Stacey has appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and went on to join the panel at Loose Women. She has since become engaged to fellow TV presenter Joe Swash. In 2021, the BBC commissioned her own home-decluttering series.
Leona Lewis: The London-born singer won the 2006 series of The X Factor
LEONA LEWIS
Age: 36
Year they appeared: 2006
Where did they finish?: Winner
What are they up to now?: After several best-selling singles and singing the theme for blockbuster movie Avatar in 2009, Leona filmed her first TV role for drama The Oath earlier this year.
Chico: Welsh singer Chico won over critics with his vibrant performances
CHICO
Age: 50
Year they appeared: 2005
Where did they finish?: Quarter-finals
What are they up to now?: Chico had a hit single, It’s Chico Time, in 2006. In September 2019, the singer was rushed to hospital after suffering a life-threatening stroke.
He is now a fitness guru and devoted dad of two.
[ad_2]
