Early Life

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. She is Egyptian and Yemeni from her mother’s side and English from her father’s side. She auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 and 2010 but was eliminated at the Bootcamp stage. She attended performing arts college South Tyneside, where she studied a range of courses. As a teenager, Thirlwall experienced racism and bullying which later contributed to her suffering with anorexia for five years before beginning her recovery.

Career

Thirlwall first auditioned on The X Factor in 2008, but got no further than boot camp. She then returned in 2011, performing the song “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles. Thirlwall earned 4 “yes” votes and went through to boot camp. Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock were to be put in a group named “Orion” and Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson were in another group called “Faux Pas”. The four were later formed into the four-piece group Rhythmix, and they progressed to judges’ houses. They eventually reached the live shows and were mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos. On 28 October 2011, it was announced that the group’s new name would be Little Mix. On 11 December 2011, Little Mix were announced as the winners, and became the first group to win the programme. In April 2019, Thirlwall along with Pinnock, signed to Sony/ATV via joint venture TwentySeven as published songwriters.

Thirlwall has released six albums with the group; DNA (2012), Salute (2013), Get Weird (2015), Glory Days (2016), LM5 (2018) and Confetti (2020). Thirlwall was the guest judge on the “Girl Group Battle Royale” episode in RuPaul’s Drag Race UK on 31 October 2019. Then in May 2020, it was announced that she would be hosting an MTV web series, titled Served!. On 29 January 2021, it was announced that Thirlwall would be appearing as a contestant on the 4th series of The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off, which is due to air in spring later this year.

Business Ventures

In November 2019, Thirlwall opened her own cocktail bar, Red Door, in South Shields, the name of which was later changed to Arbeia in February 2020. Residents praised Thirlwall for improving the town’s nightlife. In March 2020, her new nightclub, Industry, launched next door to Arbeia. In June 2020, she collaborated with Skinnydip London, a British clothing brand.

Personal Life

Thirlwall has confirmed that she is currently in a relationship with singer Jordan Stephens.

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. In August 2018, Thirlwall attended the Manchester Pride alongside LGBT charity Stonewall, joining 50 young LGBT people at the front of the parade. In 2019, Thirlwall, alongside Michelle Visage, raised £10,000 for the Mermaids UK. For the 2019 UK General Election, Thirlwall endorsed the Labour Party. In 2019, Thirlwall and Pinnock, along with other British celebrities, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day.