The Great Celebrity Bake Off: Jesy Nelson's career before Little Mix, mental health battle and solo career

A fresh batch of celebrities are competing in a new series of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer.

The charity spin-off series returns to Channel 4 from Sunday March 19. In each episode, the stars will battle it out over three rounds – the Signature, the Technical and the Showstopper challenge – in a bid to be crowned Star Baker and impress judges Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith.

Friends actor David Schwimmer, Dragon's Den star Deborah Meaden and Olympic diver Tom Daley are among those participating in this year's series. Also joining the line-up is singer and former X Factor star Jesy Nelson.

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Jesy, 31, is best known for being a member of British girl band Little Mix, who were formed on the X Factor back in 2011. But prior to her ITV appearance, Jesy trained at Sylvia Young theatre school and landed uncredited roles in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and romantic comedy film About A Boy.

Just 20 years old at the time, Jesy, who was working as a barmaid, initially auditioned for the X Factor as a solo artist. But she was soon placed into a group, along with fellow soloists Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock. The girls initially named themselves Rhythmix, but had to change it and eventually settled on Little Mix.

Despite having never met before, the bandmates soon clicked. And they seemed to have impressed the public; the four-piece went on to become the first group to ever win the talent competition, beating runner-up Marcus Collins and third-placer Amelia Lily.

Little Mix enjoyed international success, with sold-out tours and coveted festival spots, as