Jesy Nelson Reveals Heartbreaking Reason Behind Split From Fiancé
Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson has opened up about the devastating circumstances that led to the end of her engagement to Zion Foster, just four months after they announced their plans to marry. The 34-year-old singer ended her four-year relationship with 26-year-old Foster weeks after their twin daughters, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, received a life-altering diagnosis.
Twin Daughters' Diagnosis Changes Everything
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Nelson explained how the couple's world was turned upside down when their twin daughters were diagnosed with SMA Type 1, a rare genetic condition that causes progressive muscle wastage. The diagnosis came after a complicated pregnancy during which Nelson learned her daughters were monochorionic diamniotic identical twins with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
The traumatic series of events fundamentally shifted the dynamic between Nelson and Foster, with the former pop star explaining that their priority has now become co-parenting their daughters. "We have been through such a traumatic experience and for us, our girls are our main priority and our main focus," Nelson revealed.
She continued: "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. 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."
Campaigning for Early Diagnosis
Nelson is now campaigning for all newborns to be tested for spinal muscular atrophy at birth, insisting that early diagnosis is crucial. She explained that a one-time infusion can significantly improve muscle development if administered within a vital early window. The singer admitted she still feels "sad" and "angry" that her daughters weren't identified sooner, particularly as doctors had advised her not to compare her twins' growth with other babies due to their premature birth.
"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," Nelson shared. "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."
Documentary Captures Emotional Journey
The timing of Nelson's breakup adds poignancy to the launch of her Prime Video series, Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix, which documents her pregnancy journey and the challenges she faced. Viewers will see the close bond Nelson once shared with Foster, whom she described just months before their split as her "best friend" and the person who "makes me feel like everything is going to be okay."
Nelson had initially hoped to create an uplifting film she could one day show her daughters, but the motivation behind documenting her pregnancy and labour shifted dramatically as filming progressed. "No one could ever prepare me for what was about to come," she explained. "I just think it's crazy how the universe works that the one time I said I'm ready to let the cameras in, that everything since has played out."
Finding Purpose Through Motherhood
After years of feeling lost, enduring intense trolling during her time in Little Mix, and navigating several break-ups, Nelson said that becoming a mother has finally given her a sense of "purpose" she had always been searching for. She revealed that she never wanted children when she was younger, often discussing the subject with her former bandmates and being adamant that motherhood wasn't in her future.
"But now, it's mad because I can't imagine my life without them, and they have genuinely made me the person that I have always wanted to be," Nelson said. "They brought me so much purpose and for such a long time in my life I had been looking for that purpose, and I had felt lost, but they came along, and they gave me all the purpose. My life is for them now."
Meeting with Health Secretary
As part of her campaigning efforts, Nelson recently met with Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who said the former pop star was "right to challenge and criticise how long it takes to get a diagnosis." She hopes that SMA will be added to the baby heel prick test, a routine screening performed around five days after birth to detect rare but serious health conditions in newborns.
Despite her platform of over 10 million followers helping to amplify her voice, Nelson expressed frustration that it took her involvement for the issue to be taken seriously. "So many people have been suffering for years and trying to raise awareness, but they haven't been taken seriously," she said. "The minute I come along, they want to take it seriously, and it's so unfair."
Nelson's documentary series, which offers unprecedented access to her journey into motherhood and the challenges she has faced, is now available on Prime Video, providing viewers with an intimate look at her life after leaving one of the world's biggest girlbands.
