Jesy Nelson and fiance split just weeks after twins' devastating diagnosis

It feels like only yesterday that Jesy Nelson was known mainly as the bold voice from Little Mix. But life, as we know, can switch gears painfully fast. The 34-year-old singer and her partner Zion Foster, a 27-year-old rapper, shared their relationship with the public, and after years as friends, seemed set for a new chapter together when they announced they were expecting twins in 2025.

Those around Jesy watched the couple ride out several ups and downs before their twins, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, arrived. Their entry into the world, though, was not all celebration—after a complicated pregnancy affected by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, Jesy spent an extended spell in hospital, and her daughters were delivered prematurely on 15 May last year. The little girls faced tough beginnings in intensive care, taking weeks before eventually being able to go home.

Sadly, just as the clouds seemed to lift for the new family, more devastating news landed. The twins were diagnosed recently with spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA), a rare genetic disease that affects all muscles in the body, making even the simplest movements or breathing unaided a daily struggle for these tiny newborns.

Jesy and Zion : From Love to Heartbreak through Hardship

Jesy and Zion’s love story seemed sealed after enduring rough patches and going public with their engagement. However, the gravity of their twins’ health struggles added huge pressure. The couple ultimately decided to part ways just months after getting engaged, not long after learning about the girls’ diagnosis.

Both Jesy and Zion remain firmly on the same page when it comes to what matters most : their daughters. Despite all that’s happened between them, they have, according to friends "put romance aside and promised to focus on being the best co-parents possible", determined to support Ocean Jade and Story Monroe through every twist and turn on their difficult medical path.

The day-to-day realities for this young family have shifted dramatically, now revolving around treatments, medical visits, and round-the-clock care that their twins’ condition requires. For Jesy, opening up about her pain has offered both a way to cope and a call for support. She shared openly:

"This has turned my whole life upside down. I have had to learn to help my babies breathe, to feed them—everything is different."

Zion, too, hasn’t held back on expressing his heartbreak and frustration at what the family is facing, and questioned the gaps in newborn screening that led to their shock discovery. 

"I still don’t understand why SMA isn’t tested for every newborn,"

he said, even writing a moving poem dedicated to his daughters’ struggle.

A Rare Illness, Public Attention and the Media Spotlight

The couple have not suffered in silence. Jesy has chosen to document the journey of her family in the new Prime Video docu-series, "Life After Little Mix", launched on 13 February. Listeners have heard first-hand about the overwhelming emotional toll as her daughters fight to gain strength, and the support network she’s built including her mother and closest family.

The national press, such as The Sun and Mirror, have followed the story closely, highlighting the complex nature of spinal muscular atrophy type 1, and the urgent need for awareness and early identification to help families like Jesy’s. SMA’s prognosis is extremely serious without tailored treatment, often affecting life expectancy. As the parents told their story, viewers and readers were reminded of the enormous hurdle it represents in home life, and the courage this couple has shown to not only face up to medical reality, but to do so in the full glare of public attention.

Supporters and fans have rallied behind Jesy and Zion, offering messages of encouragement as they share every high and low. The sense of community and compassion on social media has given Jesy, in particular, some comfort in a dark time. As she puts it:

"Knowing people care helps me get through another day."

For Zion, amplifying his daughters’ battle has become a cause itself:

"I just hope people listen and that things change."

It’s a message that continues to gather momentum as more realise the impact of rare childhood illnesses.

The Future : Strength, Co-Parenting and Hope

While there are no easy answers or tidy endings for Jesy Nelson just now, she and Zion are showing that love for their children can survive even after romance fades. Their story—painful and inspiring by turns—challenges the boundaries of resilience, offering hope that, with support, their little girls may one day defy the odds. Will their openness encourage reforms in newborn screening or spur greater aid for families hit with rare diagnoses ?

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Jesy Nelson and fiance 'split' just weeks after twins' devastating diagnosis