Jesy Nelson has shared a heartwarming video of one of her daughters giggling with her mother, Janice on Thursday, after revealing that she broke down in tears at the weekend amid her twins devastating health battle.
The Little Mix star, 34, welcomed daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe prematurely in May 2025 with her ex-fiancé, Zion Foster.
But last month, she revealed the devastating news that both babies had been diagnosed with genetic neuromuscular disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 (SMA1).Â
The condition weakens the muscles by affecting the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, and Type 1 is the most common and severe form, with life expectancy estimated at less than two years without medical intervention.
And on Thursday, she took to her Instagram Story to show followers an adorable clip of her daughter giggling away as her nan, Janice, nuzzled her face into her neck.
Jesy Nelson has shared a heartwarming video of one of her daughters giggling with her mother, Janice on Thursday, after revealing that she broke down in tears at the weekend amid her twins devastating health battle
The Little Mix star, 34, who welcomed daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe prematurely in May 2025 – revealed last month that both girls had been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 (pictured last month)
In another sweet clip, Jesy couldn’t help but chuckle over her daughter’s sweet mullet hairstyle, while she compared her other twin daughter to a cute Cabbage Patch doll as she ran her fingers through her curly dark hair.
The heartwarming posts come after Jesy revealed that she had burst into tears on Saturday when she saw the girls’ special feeding chairs.
As SMA1 causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting, Ocean and Story require feeding tubes due to severe swallowing, sucking and breathing difficulties, and need specially designed chairs to give them extra postural support.
After the two chairs arrived, the sight brought their mother to tears, as she explained it was ‘another reminder of another obstacle we have to tackle’ amid their health battle.
Alongside a snap of the chair, she penned:Â ‘So the girls need special feeding chairs that came yesterday and I couldn’t help but burst into tears yesterday when I saw them.
‘It just made me feel so sad as it’s just another reminder of another obstacle we have to tackle. Do any other SMA mummies feel this way?’
As well as caring for her babies, Jesy is currently hard at work campaigning for the NHS to expand the standard heel prick test to check for SMA1.
She has said that, had her twins had the test – which costs around £1 – and been diagnosed and started treatment earlier, their legs could have been saved.Â
On Thursday, she took to her Instagram Story to show followers an adorable clip of her daughter giggling away as her nan, Janice, nuzzled her face into her neck
In another sweet clip, Jesy couldn’t help but chuckle over her daughter’s sweet mullet hairstyle
While she compared her other twin daughter to a cute Cabbage Patch doll as she ran her fingers through her curly dark hair
And the star has already succeeded in getting a petition to reach over 100,000 signatures, calling for the government to fund and fast-track the process, meaning Parliament must consider it for debate.
But as she continues to push for the screening to be included in the newborn blood spot test and care for her daughters’ medical needs, Jesy revealed she has parked her music career.
Appearing on Heart FM’s Breakfast show, she told Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston: ‘Look listen I’d never say never to music, but for me, my girls are my main focus.
‘I’ll be honest with you, I’ve not got time, I really don’t. They are my whole heart and soul and my main focus, and I want to continue advocating for them and getting this heel prick test changed and getting them strong, that’s my main focus.
‘Because that’s going to determine their future. That’s my main focus right now.’
She previously described caring for the twins to the Daily Mail as an emotional rollercoaster, with some days being ‘really f***ing s***’ and others slightly lighter.
Jesy explained that she and ex-partner, Zion, never expected to be caring for their babies in such a way, and having to provide for their medical needs is a daily struggle.
She told how the medical procedures her babies must endure each day leave her feeling like she’s hurting them as they cry and scream.Â
The heartwarming posts come after Jesy revealed that she had burst into tears on Saturday when she saw the girls’ special feeding chairsÂ
‘Every day is so full-on – I can speak about it, but I’ll never be able to explain how intense it is until you see it,’ Jesy told the Daily Mail.
‘There are a lot of medical things I have to do which I am still really struggling with, I’ll be honest with you. I never expected that to be part of my life and it’s tough.
‘They’re so tiny and I have to do things which I know are doing them good but at the time, when they’re crying and screaming, it feels like I’m hurting them and I hate that I have to be the person to do that. I just want to be their mum.’
When asked about a typical day with her twin daughters, Jesy said it’s impossible to describe, as no day is ever the same emotionally.
She added: ‘I don’t know how to explain my life in the day because sometimes it’s really f***ing s*** and then, other times, I don’t necessarily forget about their diagnosis but there are days [that] are lighter and they’re not as heavy.
‘So many mums have told me that’s what it’s going to be like and that’s why I need to take each day as it comes. It’s a rollercoaster; I don’t feel like this is going to be a steady journey at all.’
She has also addressed the tragic prognosis that Ocean and Story may not live beyond the age of two.
Speaking to Jamie Laing on his Great Company podcast, Jesy said she was hopeful that her babies would defy the odds now that they are receiving treatment.
‘So spinal muscular atrophy is a muscular wasting disease, so they don’t have a gene that we all have in our body,’ she said.
‘Their muscles are now deteriorating and wasting away, and if you don’t get them treatment in time, eventually the muscles will all just die, which then affects the breathing, the swallowing, everything. And they will die before the age of two.
‘It’s not OK, but it is what it is, and I just have to accept it, and now just try and make the best out of this situation… And my girls are the strongest, most resilient babies and I really believe that they are going to defy all the odds.’
What is spinal muscular atrophy?
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a disease that weakens a patient’s strength by affecting the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord.
It results in gradual muscle wasting and the severity of symptoms varies by type.
Type 1 SMA is the most severe and is evident at birth. The weakening of muscles means sufferers cannot sit and usually leads to death by the age of five.
Type 2Â is intermediate with the sufferer being unable to stand.
Type 3 is mild and makes it difficult to get up from a sitting position.
Type 4 sufferers don’t have symptoms until they are in their 20s or 30s.