Fifth Harmony’s Camila Cabello leaves the group

In a totally unexpected move, Fifth Harmony has announced that singer Camila Cabello has left the group.

The girls, who originally formed as a band on the second season of the The X Factor USA in 2012, confirmed the news in a statement posted on Twitter earlier this morning, adding that they would continue as a four-piece.

They explained: “After 4 and a half years of being together, we have been informed via her representatives that Camila has decided to leave Fifth Harmony. We wish her well.

“You Harmonizers have been there with us since the beginning, you’ve supported us, you’ve rejoiced and cried with us, you’ve grown with us, and with your love and support, we will continue on.

“That being said, we are excited to announce that we will be moving forward with the four of us – Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui for our fans.”

They continued: “We are four strong, committed women who will continue with Fifth Harmony as well as our solo endeavours. We are excited for our future, and we can’t wait for what the new year brings.

“Harmonizers, we are in this together. We love you with all of our hearts. Love, Ally, Normani, Dinah and Lauren.”

As further clarification of the shocking news, Camila’s Twitter handle has also been removed from the group’s official Twitter bio.

The five singers, who all successfully auditioned as soloists on The X Factor in America, formed as a group following Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato’s recommendation after the bootcamp stage of the competition.

In 2013 the group then signed a joint record deal with Syco Music and Epic Records after finishing in third place on the show, and later released two studio albums: Reflection in 2015 and 7/27 in 2016.

Over the years, Camila appeared to test the solo waters through two successful collaborations with Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes and hip-hop artist Machine Gun Kelly on their chart-topping singles.

However, Camila isn’t the only group member to showcase her solo chops either, with Normani dropping a sexy Drake mash-up last week following Lauren’s collaboration with pop duo Marian Hill earlier this month.

And so, with heavy hearts, we wish all of the girls every success with their future endeavours as a group or as solo artists.