Jesy Nelson reveals her twins are unlikely to walk after diagnosis

Former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson has revealed her twin babies are unlikely to ever be able to walk after being diagnosed with a rare genetic condition.

The 34-year-old singer, who gave birth to twins Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster prematurely in May with fiance Zion Foster, has revealed they have been diagnosed with SMA1 (spinal muscular atrophy).

In an Instagram video post she said: “We were told that they’re probably never going to be able to walk, they probably will never regain their neck strength, so they will be disabled, and so the best thing we can do right now is to get them treatment, and then just hope for the best.

“Thankfully, the girls have had their treatment, which you know, I’m so grateful for because if they don’t have it, they will die.

“But it has just been endless, endless amounts of hospital appointments, I practically feel like the hospital has become my second home.”

She said the diagnosis was made after her mother noticed the twins “were not showing as much movement in their legs as they should be”, and they later began to struggle with feeding.

Nelson said when she first went to see doctors they told her “don’t worry, it’s fine”, before the eventual diagnosis of SMA1, which the NHS says causes muscle weakness, movement problems, problems with breathing and swallowing, muscle tremors, and bone and joint problems.

Becoming emotional, Nelson added: “The reason I wanted to make this video was because the last few months has honestly been the most heartbreaking time of my life.

“I literally feel like my whole life has done a 360, I almost feel like I’m grieving a life that I thought I was going to have with my children, and I’ll have to be grateful because at the end of the day, they’re still here, and that’s the main thing, and they’ve had their treatment.

“And I truly believe that my girls will fight all the odds and, with the right help, they will fight this and go on to do things that have never been done.”

Nelson said she had made her children’s diagnosis public as she wanted to raise awareness of the condition.

She added: “If anyone is watching this video and they think they see these signs in their child, then please, please take your child to the doctor, to the hospital, because time is of the essence, and your child will need treatment.

“And the quicker you get this, the better their life will be. Thank you for listening, guys.”

Foster also posted a picture of the twins on Instagram, with the caption: “Still smiling through all the challenges. Daddy loves you so much.”

Nelson experienced a series of complications during her pregnancy, including twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which she documented on social media.

According to the NHS, TTTS affects 10 to 15% of identical twins who share a placenta and “can have serious consequences”.

The condition is caused by abnormal connecting blood vessels in the placenta which leads to an imbalanced blood flow from one twin to the other, leaving one with a greater blood volume than the other.

One treatment involves using a laser to burn away the blood vessels in the placenta that are causing the unequal flow.

The singer underwent the emergency procedure and spent 10 weeks in hospital before giving birth prematurely at 31 weeks on May 15.

Nelson rose to fame after winning The X Factor in 2011 with Little Mix alongside Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall.

Nelson left in December 2020 after nearly a decade together, with chart-topping singles including their winning song Cannonball, Shout Out To My Ex and Wings.

She has released two songs as a solo artist: Boyz, which featured US rapper Nicki Minaj, in 2021 and Bad Thing in 2023.