Jesy Nelson Speaks Candidly About Relationship Breakdown Following Daughters' Health Crisis
Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson has publicly addressed the "understandable" reasons behind her recent split from fiancé Zion Foster, revealing that their relationship struggled to survive the immense pressure of a traumatic family health crisis. The 34-year-old singer, who welcomed twin daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster prematurely in May last year, explained that the couple's dynamic shifted irreparably after their babies were diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
A Heartbreaking Diagnosis That Changed Everything
In an emotional interview with the Daily Mail, Nelson described how she was told that without urgent treatment, her daughters would have died. The twins, born prematurely, initially seemed healthy but received their SMA diagnosis six months later – a moment Jesy says saw her "whole world fall apart." The rare genetic condition affects the nerves controlling muscle movement, and the singer has since become a campaigner for including SMA screening in the UK's routine newborn heel prick test.
"We have been through such a traumatic experience and for us, our girls are our main priority and our main focus," Jesy explained tearfully. "We want to give them the most positive, happy and uplifting time and energy and because we have both been through such a traumatic experience, the energy wasn't right between us, which is understandable."
Focusing on Co-Parenting and Family Unity
Despite the relationship ending, Nelson emphasized that she and Foster remain united in their parenting duties. The couple, who began dating in January 2022 and announced their engagement last September, are determined to provide the best possible care for their daughters. "We are still friends and we are still united in co-parenting our daughters, they are our main focus, that's all we can do, be the best possible parents we can right now," she stated.
The singer's pregnancy was already complicated, with doctors identifying the twins as monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) identical twins who had developed twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a rare condition where both babies share a placenta. This challenging beginning foreshadowed the difficulties to come.
Documenting the Journey Through Trauma
Jesy's personal struggles are documented in her upcoming Amazon Prime series, Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix, which premieres on February 13. Originally conceived as a project to show her daughters one day, the documentary's focus shifted dramatically as her pregnancy took an unexpected turn. "No one could ever prepare me for what was about to come," she reflected.
Remarkably, the first time she allowed cameras to follow her coincided with one of the biggest challenges of her life. "As horrendous and traumatic as it all was, I was so incredibly grateful that the cameras were there," Jesy admitted. "You see my birth; you see everything. But I'm just so proud of it. I am so grateful that my girls are going to see how incredible and strong they are."
Navigating Life After the Diagnosis
When asked how she's coping with the aftermath of her daughters' diagnosis, Nelson shared: "I am taking each day as it comes because I feel like right now, especially with the girls' diagnosis, it's all I can really do. If I try to look too far into the future, I will drive myself crazy. The girls are doing really well and they're happy, that's all I can really ask for."
Last month, during an appearance on This Morning, Jesy broke down in tears while discussing her daughters' condition, admitting she'd "never be able to get over it or accept it." She expressed frustration about missed early intervention opportunities, saying: "When you know that there is something that could be done about it and it's life changing, that's something I cannot accept. I'm just struggling. I just want to be their mum; I don't want to be a nurse."
A Musical Partnership That Transcends Romance
While their romantic relationship has ended, Jesy and Zion's professional connection remains significant. The 26-year-old musician, who built a substantial following on SoundCloud as an artist and producer, collaborated with Nelson on the R&B track Mine in 2024 following her exit from Polydor Records. Foster earned 250,000 streams with his 2015 song Get This Girl and now boasts 429,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
The couple's journey has been marked by several milestones – they briefly split after initially getting together in 2022 before reconciling and announcing their engagement with a romantic beach sunset photo captioned "Just got engaged to my best friend" last September. Their daughters' premature arrival in May led to an extended stay in the NICU, which Jesy described as "the most scary overwhelming feeling of emotions not being able to feel like you can protect your babies."
As Nelson prepares to share her story with the world through her documentary series, she remains focused on raising awareness about SMA and the importance of early detection, while navigating the complexities of co-parenting with her former fiancé during this profoundly challenging chapter of their lives.
