Jade Thirlwall believes social media is a "cesspool of hatred".

The 32-year-old pop star frequently deletes her X account, because of the abuse she receives online - but Jade also acknowledges that it's a great tool for her to connect with her fans.

The 'Angel of My Dreams' hitmaker told The Independent: "It's a cesspool of hatred but at the same time, I do genuinely love it when fans are giving genuine critique about something."

Jade shot to fame as a teenager, when she joined Little Mix, the chart-topping girl group. The singer believes she's developed a "thick skin" during the course of her music career - but Jade admits that social media trolls still bother her from time to time.

Jade - who starred in Little Mix alongside Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards, and Jesy Nelson - said: "I've been doing this for so long and I've had a lot of negative comments over the years, which has given me a thick skin.

"But I guess we were a bit protected in that we had each other, and now I'm really on my own."

Jade acknowledged that people will "always" find a reason to criticize her. But she also finds the culture of trolling to be "bizarre".

The pop star - who has now embarked on a solo career - explained: "People have to find something to criticize; if it's not the music, it's how I look, that I've put on weight, the campaign, or whatever. It's literally always something.

"It's still such a bizarre concept to me. You wouldn't walk down the street and have someone walk past you and say, 'You look really s*** today.'"