Jade Thirlwall

Thirlwall was born and raised in the Laygate area of South Shields, Tyne and Wear. She is the daughter of Norma Badwi and James Thirlwall and has an older brother named Karl Thirlwall.[10] She is of Egyptian and Yemeni descent from her mother's side and of Macedonian-Greek and English descent from her father's side.[11] She auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 and 2010 but was eliminated at the bootcamp stage.[12][13] She attended performing arts college South Tyneside, where she studied a range of courses.[14] As a teenager, Thirlwall experienced racism and bullying which later contributed to her suffering with anorexia for five years before beginning her recovery.[15]

Thirlwall first auditioned on The X Factor in 2008, but got no further than bootcamp. She then returned in 2011, performing the song "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles. Thirlwall earned four "yes" votes and went through to bootcamp.[16] After she failed the first bootcamp challenge to progress through to the Girls category (solo females aged 16–24), Thirlwall was then placed in a three-piece group named "Orion" alongside Leigh-Anne Pinnock. Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson were in another group called "Faux Pas". Both groups, however were eliminated. The four were then called back by the judges and were later formed into the four-piece group Rhythmix, and they progressed to judges' houses.[17] They eventually reached the live shows and were mentored and loved by Tulisa Contostavlos.[18] On 28 October 2011, it was announced that the band's new name would be Little Mix.[19][20][21] On 11 December 2011, Little Mix were announced as the winners, making them the first band ever to win the show.[22] In April 2019, Thirlwall along with Pinnock, signed to Sony/ATV via joint venture TwentySeven as published songwriters.[23]

Thirlwall has released six albums with the band; DNA (2012), Salute (2013), Get Weird (2015), Glory Days (2016), LM5 (2018) and Confetti (2020).[24] Thirlwall was the guest judge on the "Girl Group Battle Royale" episode in RuPaul's Drag Race UK on 31 October 2019.[25][26] Then in May 2020, it was announced that she would be hosting an MTV web series, titled Served!.[27] In December 2020, Thirlwall won the Equality Award at the Ethnicity Awards 2020 along with band member, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, which they were recognised for their work towards racial equality in the UK.[28] On 29 January 2021, it was announced that Thirlwall would be appearing as a contestant on the fourth series of The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off, which aired on March later that year.[29] She was announced as the winner and was crowned as the "Star Baker" of her episode.[30]

In November 2019, Thirlwall opened her own cocktail bar, Red Door, in South Shields,[31][32][33] the name of which was later changed to Arbeia in February 2020.[34] Residents praised Thirlwall for improving the town's nightlife.[35] In March 2020, her new nightclub, Industry, launched next door to Arbeia.[36] In June 2020, she collaborated with Skinnydip London, a British clothing brand.[37] On 10 September 2021, Thirlwall was announced as the new face of the Italian sportswear brand, Ellesse. Thirlwall launched her own "Autumn/Winter" collection the same day, in partnership with Ellesse, with exclusive products being available on ASOS and JD Sports.[38][39]

On 4 October 2021, Thirlwall announced that she will be releasing her own 42-colour eyeshadow palette in collaboration with beauty products company, Beauty Bay, and was launched on 11 October 2021. The palette is celestial-themed and was inspired by Thirlwall's passion for crystals, spirituality and astrology.[40][41] It features 42 metallic and matte shades, with the names being referenced to her musical career, her hometown, and her love for crystals.[42]

Thirlwall has confirmed that she is currently in a relationship with singer and actor Jordan Stephens.[43]

Thirlwall is known for being a prominent supporter of the LGBT community and her involvement with charity work. In May 2018, she spoke at the Stonewall Youth Awards about what it means to be an ally and encouraging more artists to do the same.[44] In August 2018, Thirlwall attended the Manchester Pride alongside LGBT charity Stonewall, joining 50 young LGBT people at the front of the parade.[45]

In 2019, Thirlwall, alongside Michelle Visage, raised £10,000 for the Mermaids UK. That same year, Thirlwall, together with band member Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and other British celebrities, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day.[46]

In November 2021, Thirlwall was awarded the GAY TIMES Honour for Allyship and featured on the cover of GAY TIMES Magazine.[47] In an interview with the latter, she spoke of her commitment to being an LGBTQ+ ally, saying: “I think the more that I learn about my allyship and what I can be doing and how I should be doing those things, the more passionate I’ve become in using my voice and using it in the right way.”[48]