Jess Wright has revealed her son is ‘defying all the odds’ after doctors delivered the ‘rare’ news that his heart condition has improved following two years of agonising check-ups.
The former TOWIE star, 40, broke down in tears as she shared the latest update on her son Presley, three, in an exclusive clip from the forthcoming episode of her podcast, Wright At Home.
Speaking alongside her mother, Carol Wright, 65, and sister, Natalya Wright, 25, Jess revealed that doctors have seen a rare improvement in his condition after he was diagnosed with the congenital condition bicuspid aortic valve.
‘The other day the doctor said that actually his has reduced which is really, really rare, it doesn’t happen often,’ she said in the episode, which will be released in full tomorrow. ‘He’s doing really, really well.’
Emotional Relief
Overcome with emotion, Jess admitted the strain of living between each check-up has been immense. ‘You hold it together for these checks and then you kind of hold it together after because you get good news,’ Jess said. ‘To be in that kind of agonising wait not knowing if it's going to be a good result or the worst news, every four months is just not easy.’
Stepping in, Carol said: ‘It went really well, and they got good news that it’s improved. He’s going to be ok he’s such a strong boy.’ Natalya added: ‘Couldn't have asked for better news really.’
Ongoing Uncertainty
Despite the positive update, Jess said the family remains acutely aware of the uncertainty ahead. She said: ‘We just have to hope and pray that his heart sustains where it is at the moment because at the moment it’s ok. It’s just that we’re close to the level of where it will need operating on.’
She added: ‘Defying all the odds, he’s got that but he’s still completely active and really, really energetic.’ Carol noted that her grandson shows no signs of slowing down, saying she could ‘see that kid running the marathon one day, the amount of running that he does.’
Background on Diagnosis
Jess first revealed Presley’s diagnosis in August 2024, telling her followers that the condition – which affects around one per cent of the population – means the heart valve has only two leaflets instead of the usual three. At the time, she admitted the news ‘physically hurts [her] soul’ and said her son would likely need open-heart surgery at least twice in his life.
She later revealed the diagnosis came after what was expected to be a routine appointment about a chest infection shortly before his second birthday, when doctors detected a heart murmur and advised further tests. Around a month later, those tests confirmed their worst fears.
Recalling the moment, she told The Mirror: ‘It was extremely tough and something that we’re still taking our time to get over and used to - I’m not sure we ever will. I just remember sitting in between my mum and my husband and thinking, “I’m going to fall on the floor.” I couldn’t even kind of hold myself up.’
‘It’s a case of waiting until the point where we know that his heart valves need to be replaced,’ she added. ‘So, essentially, it can happen at any moment. We’ve been told that we’ll be lucky if he gets to the age of 10 without needing it, which was the biggest blow for us, because some people can get to their 50s and not have one until then.’
Jess shares Presley with her husband, William Lee-Kemp, 43. The couple met in 2019, married in Majorca in 2021 and welcomed their son in 2022. She previously said they had spent months coming to terms with the diagnosis before going public, hoping to raise awareness and connect with other families facing similar challenges ‘to know that we are not alone.’
The full episode of Wright At Home will go live on April 28.
