Jesy Nelson has shared her twin daughters' devastating health news in an emotional video. The Little Mix alum, who welcomed twins Ocean Jade and Story Monroe prematurely eight months ago in June 2025, revealed her girls have Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) type one.
Jesy told her 9.6 million Instagram followers on Sunday, 4 January morning that it was the "most severe muscular disease that a baby can get". The singer explained that the disease kills every muscle in the body.
"If it's not treated in time, your baby's life expectancy will not make it past the age of two," she shared the devastating reality of the disease. Before receiving an official diagnosis, Jesy said the treatment process was "very rapid" as "time is of the essence, essentially."
Jesy and her partner, Zion, were told during their daughters' assessment at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children that the girls "will probably never be able to walk". “They probably will never regain their neck strength, so they will be disabled," Jesy said tearfully.
The Little Mix alum added that "the best thing we can do right now is get them treatment and just hope for the best.” She went on to share how grateful she was that the girls had received their treatment, as without it "they will die".
Jesy said she had been to endless hospital appointments and admitted the last few months have been the "most heartbreaking time" in her life.
"I practically feel like the hospital has become my second home. I also feel like I have almost had to become a nurse in the space of two weeks of getting their diagnosis because I have to put them on breathing machines and do lots of stuff that no mother should have to do with their child," she said.
She continued: "I literally feel like my whole life has done a 360. I almost feel like I am grieving a life I thought I was going to have with my children."
"I truly believe my girls will defy all the odds, and with the right help, they will fight this and go on to do things that have never been done." The singer said she wanted to make the video to raise awareness and share the signs for early detection, as there is no cure for the disease.
Jesy's turbulent pregnancy
Jesy announced in January 2025 that she was pregnant with twins with her partner, fellow singer Zion Foster. The star was open about her pregnancy and complications linked to pre-Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). According to the NHS, TTTS is a rare condition that occurs in around 10-15% of Monochorionic Diamniotic (MCDA) pregnancies, which is where twins share a placenta.
"I couldn't enjoy my pregnancy, [and] was constantly worried. We didn't even want to announce it. It makes me so sad, it should be the happiest time of your life," Jesy later said after giving birth during an appearance on This Morning.
In March, Jesy revealed she had undergone a successful surgery. "The TTTS has cleared up. The operation was a success, which is just absolutely incredible. We are so, so lucky," she shared in an Instagram video update.
Jesy's twins were born prematurely
The singer spent 10 weeks in the hospital amid her pregnancy. "Most people would hate it, but because I was in such a state of fear, I didn't want to go home," she said on This Morning.
Jesy then welcomed her twins prematurely on May 15 at 31 weeks old. After they were born, her twins had an extended four-week stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
© Instagram/ @jesynelson"Nothing or no one will ever be able to prepare you as a parent for NICU. It’s the most scary, overwhelming feeling of emotions, not being able to feel like you can protect your babies," Jesy wrote candidly on Instagram. "Naturally, as a mother, you just want to hold them and comfort them when they cry, but you can’t because there are what feels like a million wires coming out of them and tubes and masks in the way with people poking and prodding them, it breaks your heart into a million pieces."
"But slowly as the days go by and they get stronger and wires start to come away, moments like this feel like a dream. Having them reunited for the first time ever today was the most magical feeling I will never be able to describe," she continued. "The strongest little girls I’ve ever known who really do have the most inspiring story to tell."
Jesy is engaged to Zion
In September 2025, Jesy revealed Zion had proposed, and she said yes! "Just got engaged to my best friend," the singer announced the news in a heartwarming Instagram post on the beach. In one photo, Jesy flashed her diamond ring with the ocean as the backdrop.
