Leigh-Anne Pinnock breaks down in tears and says she’s no longer ‘scared to be me’ after making racism documentary
LITTLE Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock broke down in tears as she sobbed "I'm no longer scared to be me" after making a documentary about racism.
The 29-year-old's new BBC show Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power airs tonight at 9pm.
Leigh-Anne opens up about how racism within the music industry has “ruined” her decade-long career in the group and how she felt “lost and invisible”.
The star even feared she had only been put in Little Mix as the “token black girl”.
In an interview ahead of the documentary's release, Leigh-Anne was overcome with emotion as she said filming had "changed" her.
She said: "By the time I finished the documentary I was a different person..."
Leigh-Anne - who is pregnant with her first child - then burst into tears and covered her face as she said through tears: "Ah, I knew this was going to happen. It's hormones and it's everything."
She emotionally added: "I feel confident and not scared just to be me.
"I own it now, more than ever."
Leigh-Anne was born and raised in High Wycombe, Bucks, by Deborah, a teacher, and John, a mechanic, who she says brought her up to be “really proud” of their Caribbean heritage.
But Leigh-Anne says she has always felt less popular than her bandmates Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Jesy Nelson, because of her race.
She felt - as a black girl in the pop industry - that she had a responsibility to make the documentary.
"I wanted to explore why I felt so overlooked and overshadowed," she added.
In the documentary, Leigh-Anne meets other black artists who have faced similar situations, including Alexandra Burke and Sugababes singer Keisha Buchanan.
Leigh-Anne added: “I feel like I’m in a unique position.
“Being a black girl in the pop industry with a predominantly white fanbase, I do feel like I have a responsibility to speak out.
“I can use my voice to try to do something.”
- Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power is on BBC Three on iPlayer now and airs on BBC1 at 9pm tonight.