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'Leigh-Anne: Colourism & Race': Little Mix Star Leigh-Anne Pinnock To Front New BBC Racism Doc

Joanna Freedman

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'Leigh-Anne: Colourism & Race': Little Mix Star Leigh-Anne Pinnock To Front New BBC Racism Doc

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/ Leigh-Anne Pinnock

Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock is hosting a new BBC documentary about racism.

The new doc, entitled Leigh-Anne: Colourism & Race, is set to centre around the singer's own personal experiences of racism and colourism, as well as the wider issue within the UK.

Explaining why she took part in the documentary, Leigh-Anne said she wanted to use her fame as a "platform to bring this conversation to a wider audience".

She added: "I have always been passionate about rights for black people", and went on to explain she wanted to use the doc as a means to "stand up for my black and brown community".

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Leigh-Anne Pinnock is fronting a BBC racism doc (Credit: Instagram/ Leigh-Anne Pinnock)
Leigh-Anne Pinnock is fronting a BBC racism doc (Credit: Instagram/ Leigh-Anne Pinnock)

"Conversations surrounding racism and colourism are something I constantly have with my boyfriend and family," she said in a statement.

"Systemic racism is complex; through making this documentary I want to learn how I can best lend my voice to the debate so that the young people who look up to me won't have to face what me and my generation have had to."

The documentary will be directed by Leigh-Anne's childhood friend Tash Gaunt - who will be making her directorial debut.

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Plus, Leigh-Anne's bandmates Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson and Perrie Edwards will also feature.

Leigh-Anne will speak about her own experiences of colourism and racism (Credit: PA)
Leigh-Anne will speak about her own experiences of colourism and racism (Credit: PA)

Speaking on the new documentary, BBC Three controller Fiona Campbell said: "By working with high profile talent like Leigh-Anne, and other important individuals she will meet through this process, we hope the honest conversations this film will feature will have the power to change attitudes, offer insight and help to prevent racism in our society."

The doc comes after Jesy Nelson's extremely powerful BBC film Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out on trolling last year - which went on to win an NTA Award.

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This isn't the first time Leigh-Anne has used her platform to speak about racial injustice.

The singer tearfully opened up on the racism she had faced in a video on Instagram in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year, revealing she was told to work "ten times harder" in Little Mix because she was a black woman, and tragically adding that she sometimes felt "invisible".

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Plus, she also further divulged harrowing details of the racism she encountered in her childhood on Channel 4's The Talk.

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The singer, who is engaged to footballer Andre Gray, revealed one of her school mates even said she was from "the jungle".

"In primary school, a boy wrote on a bit of paper, 'Name: Leigh-Anne. Age: Nine. Nationality: Jungle'," she recalled.

"I saw it, and my heart just dropped. I knew it was racism. I was nine years old, I knew it was racism. I was just distraught by it."

One thing is for sure - this documentary is going to be a really important watch.

Topics: Little Mix, TV News, TV Entertainment, Leigh-Anne Pinnock

Joanna Freedman
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