Leigh-Anne Pinnock has openly expressed her heartfelt happiness about her husband Andre Gray's permanent return to their family home, following his football stint in Turkey. The singer, who recently spoke candidly about feelings of betrayal in their relationship, revealed that family and her husband's homecoming are her top priorities this year.
Focus on Happiness and Family Reunion
During an appearance on Amy Jackson's podcast What’s the Tea, Amy?, Leigh-Anne emphasised that happiness remains her ultimate goal. When asked about her biggest focus, she stated: 'Happiness. That is it. And I say I probably say every year. But that's always my goal just to be happy.' She added, 'Yes. Happiness. And can I just say actually, family as well because my husband will be back. I just want to get sick of him, you know.' Amy Jackson, married to Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick, agreed, noting the desire for that point in a relationship where you eagerly await a partner's return.
Navigating Identity After Little Mix
Leigh-Anne also reflected on the challenging journey of self-discovery after leaving Little Mix, the band formed on X Factor that she was part of for twelve years. She explained: 'I literally sometimes sit there and think, who’s Leigh-Anne? No, seriously. And I think that comes from being in a group for so long.' She admitted to needing time for therapy and personal understanding, acknowledging that owning a quarter of something in a group required stepping away to work out her individual identity.
Constraints in the Girl Band Era
She revealed that during her time in Little Mix, the members were often discouraged from speaking out on social issues and were deterred from labelling themselves as feminists. Leigh-Anne said: 'We always wanted to make music to inspire people. I think because we knew we had so many people looking up to us. We wanted to be the inspiration for people. And we did it for our music. But I felt like weren’t always encouraged to speak about social issues.' She recalled one instance where they were told not to identify as feminists, as pop stars were sometimes questioned about their credibility on such matters.
Relationship Healing Through Therapy
Earlier this year, Leigh-Anne disclosed that Andre underwent therapy after a period that left her heartbroken, involving trust issues and betrayal. The couple, who tied the knot in June 2023 after welcoming twins in August 2021, faced challenges that required work and commitment. Speaking to Paloma Faith on her Mad Sad Bad podcast, Leigh-Anne shared: 'I went through a bit of a weird time with my husband actually and I think that sort of not being totally honest and losing trust and that kind of betrayal. I think like heartbreak is wild, like it's awful and especially someone that you're so madly in love with and that they can hurt you.'
Andre's Transformation Abroad
She explained how Andre, while playing abroad for Aris Thessaloniki in Greece, realised his selfish behaviour and sought change. Leigh-Anne noted: 'Well, I think that person has to want to change and he did. And I think you can go through things in relationship, but if they aren't willing to change for you, forget it. They have to do the work and they have to turn it around because again it's not you, it's not on you. He went to therapy and I think for us what really helped for us, he started playing abroad and he had more time to himself to kind of look and realise that everything that he was doing was not how you make a relationship work, it's not. It's selfish.'
Forgiveness and Moving Forward
In a TikTok video from June 2024, Leigh-Anne first addressed how Andre had broken her heart early in their relationship, but she learned the power of forgiveness. She said: 'I learnt the power of forgiveness. I'm still with the person who broke my heart and he went out of his way to change for me. I think if you can actually get to the other side and make it through it, it makes it all worthwhile.' She acknowledged that some might question staying with someone after betrayal, but emphasised that only individuals know what's right for them.
Building a Stronger Bond
Leigh-Anne described how the couple overcame their struggles to reach a 'really beautiful place'. She continued: 'If that person can really show that they want to change, you cannot change somebody but if they go out of their way to change themselves I really do think that kind of tells you everything you need to know. For me personally I had to go through these struggles and things in our relationship to get to the point where we are now, which is a really beautiful place.' The Don’t Say Love songstress added that forgiveness can be a powerful and healing act, not a sign of weakness, as long as boundaries are maintained to prevent being taken advantage of.
