Little Mix have spoken of a “new dawn” in their first cover interview as a trio.

Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall feature on the cover of Glamour UK as the winner of the gamechangers in music gong at the magazine’s women of the year awards.

It comes three months after Jesy Nelson left the group, saying the high-profile role had “taken a toll” on her mental health.

(Glamour/Aitken Jolly/PA)

Thirlwall said spending time apart due to the coronavirus pandemic had given them perspective as a group.

She told the title: “I’m not saying that we’re co-dependent, but we do heavily rely on each other, so it’s been healthy to take a step back and think, ‘What do I want?’

“As we come together and work together this year, we’ll have an even better and healthier relationship with that perspective.

“This time’s taught me that I am still figuring out who I am, too.

“It’s beautiful that we’re still a group, but we want to help push each other to do our own thing, too. It’s like a new dawn of Little Mix.”

Edwards added: “That’s totally OK. We’re not going to know, individually. We’ve always had each other, it’s always Little Mix – it’s us.”

Pinnock echoed their comments, saying: “I do think our sense of sisterhood is better for when we do have shit times together over the years or if we’ve got on each other’s nerves, because it’s never been an option to not be together and we’ve always known that we are sisters.

“It helps you to learn forgiveness, learn to be more patient and be more compromising because you’re in a group dynamic where it’s literally that or you don’t be together.”

The group did not discuss Nelson’s exit during the interview.

In January, Nelson scored her final number one with Little Mix after single Sweet Melody, from their recent album Confetti, topped the charts.

Little Mix formed on The X Factor in 2011 and have become one of the country’s biggest-selling girl bands.

Glamour’s women of the year awards, celebrating the title’s 20th anniversary, will be held on Thursday March 11 at 7pm.

Comedian Katherine Ryan will host the virtual ceremony, which recognises 20 game-changers across the beauty, entertainment, sports, wellness, charity and fashion industries, which will be streamed on the Glamour website.