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VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Little Mix film emotional diary as they journey to impoverished Liberian township on behalf of Sport Relief

PUBLISHED: 15:57 EST, 5 March 2014 | UPDATED: 16:52 EST, 5 March 2014

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They freely admit to living their life in a bubble, but Little Mix were given an insight into the harsh realities faced by those less fortunate during a trip to Liberia on behalf of Sport Relief.

In an exclusive video diary filmed during their brief stay on the west coast of Africa, the former X Factor winners meet with impoverished townsfolk – amongst them young children whose positivity shines through despite being born into extreme hardship.

Perrie Edwards, whose fiancé Zayn Malik was reduced to tears after visiting a slum in Ghana during his own trip to Africa for Comic Relief, admitted that she was shocked by living conditions in Liberia, despite being braced for the worst.

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Humbled: (L-R) Little Mix stars Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy nelson paid a visit to Liberia in west Africa for Sport Relief

‘Coming to Liberia has been in some ways different to what I thought but in a lot of ways I kind of expected certain things,’ she said.

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‘I think the things I expected are harder to see – no matter how much you prepare yourself before you come out here, you think ‘I’ve seen the adverts, I’ve read about it’ and then you get here and it’s like, ‘Wow.’

‘It’s probably been the best experience of my life,’ added band-mate Jesy Nelson. ‘It’s very humbling, it’s very grounding, especially for us four girls who are in this bubble constantly.'

Little Mix girls' video diary from Liberia charity trip

Pleased to meet you: Children in the Liberian township maintain their optimism despite being born into impoverished environments

Here we go: The girls enjoy a dance with Liberian locals in their Sport relief video diary

Hand in hand: Little Mix spent some time in West Africa on behalf of Sport Relief

‘It’s not really a real world to us and then you come to places like this and you see how lucky we are and how awful it is for these children.’

An emotional Leigh-Anne Pinnock admitted that witnessing the conditions first hand put into perspective the comparatively trivial concerns faced back home.

‘We worry about the stupidest little things at home and there’s just so much going on in the world,’ she said. ‘I just feel like we take things for granted too much and coming here is such a big eye-opener.

Emotional: Leigh-Anne is close to tears as she talks about her Liberian experience

Best experience of my life: Jade said the trip was 'very humbling'

Upbeat: Jesy admitted that despite the hardship, there were still plenty of light-hearted moments

Taken aback: Perrie said the things she expected from the visit were 'harder to see' first hand

The band are on the verge of releasing their new charity single – a cover of Cameo’s 1986 single Word Up – and they ended their diary by singing the track’s chorus to a group of children.

News of the track’s release was announced on Twitter with the message: ‘We are really excited to announce this year’s official @SportRelief Single is called 'Word Up' sung by….. US!! xxLittle Mix xxx #SR14.’

Sport Relief single Word Up is released on march 16 and is available to pre-order now.

Time to dance: The girl's entertain local children during their brief stay in Liberia

Surrounded: Children gather around singer Perrie Edwards, who admitted she was shocked by living conditions in the township

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Claire, Ireland, 22 minutes ago

Good on them for getting involved!

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Claire, London, 1 hour ago

Good on them! Nice to see them doing their bit for charity, I know people will say it's all for them and blah blah blah but just so you know, 100% of the profit made from the single is going to sport relief, the record label aren't taking any chunk of it. Well done!