Perrie Edwards

Perrie Louise Edwards was born on 10 July 1993 and raised in South Shields, Tyne and Wear.^[3] She was named after Steve Perry from the rock band Journey. Her parents, Deborah Duffy and Alexander Edwards, divorced when she was a child and both remarried. Her mother married Mark Duffy from New Zealand, and her father married Joanna Wells. She has an older brother called Jonnie Edwards and a half-sister named Caitlin Edwards.^[4][5]

As a child, Edwards attended Radipole Primary School in Weymouth, Dorset before moving back to South Shields.^[6] She attended St. Peter and Paul RC Primary School, and Mortimer Community College in South Shields,^[6] and later transferred to Newcastle College, where she received a BTEC in Performing Arts.^[6] As a preteen she lived two years in Hamilton, New Zealand.^[7] Edwards was born with oesophageal atresia, which is responsible for the bisectional scar on her stomach,^[8] and anosmia.^[9] As a child, she underwent several operations because of the condition.^[10]

In 2011, at age 17, Edwards auditioned for The X Factor with "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette.^[11] After she failed the first bootcamp challenge to progress through to the Girls category (solo females aged 16–24), she was placed into a four-piece group named Faux Pas with Jesy Nelson. Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock were in another group called Orion. Both groups failed to progress through the next stage. A decision was made by the judges to bring back the four to form a new four-piece group called Rhythmix and they progressed to the judges' houses.^[12]

They eventually reached the live shows and were mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos.^[13] On 28 October 2011, it was announced that the group's name had been changed to Little Mix.^[14] On 11 December 2011, Little Mix were announced as the winners, making them the first band ever to win the British version of the show.^[15]

Edwards released six albums and one greatest hits album with the group, DNA (2012), Salute (2013), Get Weird (2015), Glory Days (2016), LM5 (2018), Confetti (2020) and Between Us (2021). Since their debut, the group has been cited for helping the girl band renaissance in the UK. They have gone onto become one of the best-selling girl groups and one of Britain's biggest selling acts. In December 2021, the group announced they would be going on a hiatus, after the Confetti Tour in May 2022, to allow its members to pursue solo projects.^[16][17]

In November 2022, Edwards' estimated net worth was revealed to be £17.5 million, appearing on the Sunday Times Rich List, for the first time.^[18] In March 2023, Edwards signed a recording contract with Columbia Records. Later that month, her clothing brand Disora became one of only 6% of brands to sell a size 18 and above.^[19][20] In May, she announced her partnership with BetterHelp, a virtual counseling and therapy company to help people gain access to therapy.^[19]

In November 2023, Edwards appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List for a second consecutive year.^[21] In the same month, she confirmed that her debut album was almost complete.^[22] In February 2024, Edwards began teasing her upcoming debut solo single and revealed a new Instagram account called 'Perrie HQ' which would be managed by her team.^[23] In March, she officially announced her debut solo single titled "Forget About Us", which was released on 12 April 2024, and peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart.^[24][25] In June 2024, she announced her second single titled "Tears", which was released on 21 June 2024.^[26] She performed "Forget About Us", "Tears" and a cover of I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston at Capital FM's Summertime Ball. ^[27][28][29] On 12 July 2024, "Tears" was performed on The One Show.^[30] In September 2024, she announced her third single titled "You Go Your Way", which was released on 4 October 2024,^[31] and performed the song live on The Graham Norton Show the same night.^[32] On 26 October, she performed "Forget About Us" at finale of The Voice UK. On 29 October, she performed "You Go Your Way" and a mashup cover of "Die with a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars and "Wonderwall by Oasis on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.^[33]

Edwards released her first promotional single "Me, Myself and You" on 8 November 2024.^[34] On 15 November 2024, she released the Christmas song "Christmas Magic".^[35] On 7 December 2024, she performed "Forget About Us", "Tears", "Christmas Magic" and "You Go Your Way" at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball.^[36][37][38]

On 14 February 2025, Edwards released the song "Rollercoaster".^[39] Her next single, "If He Wanted to He Would", was released on 22 August of the same year.^[40] In September 2025, she released the promotional single "Cute Aggression".^[41] Her debut self-titled solo album Perrie was released on 26 September 2025.^[42]

Edwards is a patron for CoppaFeel!, a breast cancer charity.^[43] In 2019, she became the face of Italian brand Superga and released a designed collection of shoes.^[44] In 2020, she was announced as the first female ambassador for Supreme Nutrition.^[45][46] Later that year, Edwards became the new face of Nando's, a Portuguese-African food franchise. She also appeared in their television advertisements.^[47]

In 2021, Edwards launched her own fashion brand, Disora, describing it as a "contemporary luxury" brand.^[48][49] Disora's first collection, DS001, sold out within 48 hours but received criticism at the brand's lack of size inclusivity. In 2023, in an interview for Grazia, Edwards stated that Disora had become inclusive for all sizes, making it one of only 6% of brands that sell a size 18 and above.^[19]

In 2013, Edwards became engaged to English singer Zayn Malik, whom she met on The X Factor UK in 2011.^[50] Their relationship ended in August 2015.^[51] In February 2017, it was confirmed that Edwards was dating English professional footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.^[52] She gave birth to a son in August 2021. On 18 June 2022, the pair announced their engagement. On 27 September 2022, Edwards and Oxlade-Chamberlain were at home with their son when burglars broke in, with police being called to the incident.^[53] In 2025, Edwards revealed that she had suffered two miscarriages: one prior to the birth of her son, and a second at 24 weeks' gestation, during Little Mix's Confetti Tour in May 2022.^[54][55]

In 2012, during the recording stages for the group's debut album DNA (2012), Edwards had to undergo surgery to remove her inflamed tonsils.^[50] In 2017, she was set to perform alongside Little Mix in Las Vegas, but was hospitalised for gastric problems.^[56] In August 2018, she received further treatment on her throat for her oesophageal condition. In April 2019, Edwards shared her experience of panic attacks and anxiety with the magazine Glamour, describing the intense physical sensations that she thought were the result of a heart attack.^[57] She later underwent therapy, which she said "helped hugely." In a follow-up interview for Grazia in 2023, Edwards revealed she experienced bullying as a child because of her appearance. She had issues with anemia and was left malnourished because of her condition with oesophageal atresia.^[19] In 2024 in an interview with Nikkie de Jager, Edwards revealed she is partially deaf.^[58]

• (with Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall) Little Mix: ready to fly (London, 2012) ISBN 978-0007488162