Jade Thirlwall Discusses Rare Medical Condition Affecting Her Appearance

<figure><img alt="Jade Thirlwall poses as she arrives for the BRIT Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, March 1, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/JW7L22HR5RCRNARPH2HDBIOI54.JPG?auth=50d3540f86577faf3c7060b02ad2bc9941cd11a54453858b562f8b31c9920b9c&amp;smart=true&amp;width=2319&amp;height=1304" /><figcaption>Isabel Infantes / Reuters</figcaption></figure><p>English pop star Jade Thirlwall revealed that a rare medical condition causes her stomach to bloat. Influencer Gemma Renwick posted a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@_gemmarenwick/video/7684263653813554465" rel="">TikTok</a> video titled “I can’t burp,” sharing her experience with <a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/retrograde-cricopharyngeus-dysfunction-r-cpdno-burp-syndrome" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/retrograde-cricopharyngeus-dysfunction-r-cpdno-burp-syndrome">retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction</a> (RCPD). The rare lifelong condition makes it physically impossible for a person to burp or belch.</p><p>“Omg I finally feel so seen and understood,” Thirlwall, 33, commented. “It’s always been a fun fact that I can’t burp.”</p><p>“But it’s caused issues my whole life, and I’m so sick of people commenting on my body onstage when I’m just bloated,” the singer wrote.</p><img alt="Jade Thirlwall said she gets comments about her “bloated appearance.” Pictured here on stage at the Glastonbury Festival in England in June 2025. / Jim Dyson / Redferns via Getty Images" height="2666" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/MGNH6H5NONE4VOSLNY7I5MWYEY.jpg?auth=8886734a318e8dbc880de5e4bb282959d16eaa94753ebdca10602420bedd4afb&amp;smart=true&amp;width=4000&amp;height=2666" width="4000" /><p>The condition, also known as no-burp syndrome, does not have serious medical impacts on a person’s health, but it can cause unpleasant and even emotionally distressing symptoms. These include severe stomach pains, chest pains, nausea, and excessive flatulence, according to the <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/rcpd-retrograde-cricopharyngeus-dysfunction" rel="">Cleveland Clinic</a>.</p><p>Thirlwall continued that she would like to try “throtox,” a portmanteau of throat and Botox, a recommended treatment in which Botox is injected into the cricopharyngeal muscle under general anesthesia to help relax it and allow the patient to burp.</p><img alt="Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Perrie Edwards of Little Mix performing on NBC's " src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/4XKFFSD5L5GNJFCRRPHJ24B3F4.JPG?auth=2d9b782c2b35036ccd5b77998df23d0dec6530be3a0775899648d6c236d6679a&amp;smart=true&amp;width=3500&amp;height=2333" /><p>However, Thirlwall expressed concern that the injections could affect her vocals. She was part of the popular girl group Little Mix with Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards, and Jesy Nelson, formed by former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland in the U.K.’s <i>The X Factor</i> in 2011. The group won the competition show but went on hiatus in 2022, after which Thirlwall embarked on a solo career.</p><img alt="Jade Thirlwall often styles herself in clothes that cover her body. Pictured here at the BRIT Awards in Manchester, Britain, in February 2026. / Temilade Adelaja / REUTERS" height="4839" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/Y642Z26D7RF6PFFVOVVQLEXOTM.JPG?auth=a3cb28850a54abb34b37a551d82c6efbe2c92c8f1d17b3eb42026f42d9b109a6&amp;smart=true&amp;width=3280&amp;height=4839" width="3280" /><p>Thirlwall, who has previously battled with anorexia, has received negative comments about her body for years. When she gained weight, people could be cruel with their comments.</p><p>“I have a daily battle with myself not to go on Ozempic,” she told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/aug/16/jade-thirlwall-solo-interview-anorexia-the-x-factor-little-mix" rel="">The Guardian</a> in August 2025. “I don’t judge people that do, but because I have a history of eating disorders, I don’t know where taking something like that would end for me.”</p><p>“Now I’m in my thirties and the healthiest I’ve ever been,” Thirlwall continued, “but every time I post a picture, there are comments saying, ‘She must be pregnant.’”</p><video id="DnMrDKWv" poster="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/DnMrDKWv/poster.jpg"><source src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/DnMrDKWv.mp4" type="video/mp4" /></video><p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/pop-star-jade-thirlwall-of-little-mix-says-rare-illness-causes-bloated-appearance/">Read more at The Daily Beast.</a></p>