Jessie J was born Jessica Ellen Cornish in Redbridge, London. She attended Colins Performing Arts. She was cast as an eleven year old in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End production of Whistle Down the Wind.[2][3][4] Educated at Mayfield High School in the London Borough of Redbridge. Cornish revealed she had two sisters who are five and seven years older than her. Her two sisters were both head girls at school. Unlike her academic sisters, Cornish has stated she was "never really that good at anything". She said "At school they were like 'oh, you're a Cornish girl' and they kind of expected me to be the same as my sisters. Give me something to draw or an outfit to pick for someone, or hair, make-up, acting, write a song, I'm fine with it, but anything to do with sums – it was never my thing." She also said she never based her intelligence on her exam results.[5] She also said she was always good at singing and it was her "thing." However, she got banished from the school choir, for being too loud. She stated "I was in it for a day and some of the adults were moaning that their kids were upset that I was too good. I was 11. Can you imagine? I was heartbroken."[5]
At the age of 16 she began studying at the BRIT School, and joined a girl group at the age of 17, titled "Soul Deep".[6] Jessie J has had an irregular heartbeat since the age of 11, and also suffered a minor stroke at the age of 18. As a result, she doesn't drink alcohol or smoke. Jessie said: "At 11 I was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. I had wires put in my shoulder, groin and heart to try and zap it to a normal rhythm, but it didn't really work. Then, at 18, I suffered a minor stroke. It was scary, but I'm fine now. Having bad health has made me realise I can't take anything for granted and I must look after my body." Due to this, in early 2011, she suffered from a panic attack on stage, after she was forced to perform in the dark. "I did a gig recently and had a panic attack on stage," she told Now Magazine. "The night was called 'Black Out' and I had to perform in the dark. I asked them to turn on the lights and they didn't. I was onstage in pitch black and, because I couldn't see anything, I started to panic. It was awful."[7]
