Jesy Nelson Reveals Why She Ended Engagement To Zion Foster After Twins’ Devastating SMA Diagnosis
Jesy Nelson has revealed that she made the painful decision to end her engagement to Zion Foster after the devastating diagnosis of their twin daughters placed an overwhelming strain on their relationship.
The former Little Mix singer, 34, and rapper Zion had been together for four years before confirming their separation earlier this year.
Their relationship ended after their daughters, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, were diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type 1, also known as SMA1.
The rare genetic condition causes severe muscle weakness and can affect movement, breathing and swallowing.
In an emotional forthcoming episode of her Prime Video documentary series, Jesy explains that she and Zion responded to the family crisis in very different ways.
Rather than bringing them closer, the pressure increasingly led to conflict.
“When we were together, we were just constantly clashing,” Jesy says in the programme.
“So I made the decision that we would be better apart.”
The documentary reportedly captures the heartbreaking moment the couple learned about their daughters’ diagnosis from medical specialists.
Ocean and Story, who were born prematurely in May 2025, were diagnosed in January.
Jesy admits that she initially struggled to accept what the condition could mean for their future.
“I know I sound really negative, but it is hard to accept that this is going to be their life from now on,” she says.
“It feels like everything is getting worse.
“I thought I had already experienced heartbreak. I cannot believe this is happening. I feel completely broken.”
Zion also speaks candidly about his emotional state, admitting that he felt unable to cope with the scale of the news.
He says: “I do not have the capacity to deal with this. I am completely helpless emotionally, physically and mentally.
“Right now, I am just trying to survive.”
Jesy describes the diagnosis as an intensely traumatic experience for both parents and acknowledges that such circumstances can place enormous pressure on even the strongest relationship.
She explains that couples facing a family health crisis may either become more united or find themselves pulled apart.
Sadly, she believes the latter happened to her and Zion.
“It was a very traumatic experience that we both went through,” she reportedly says in the documentary.
“I think it is very difficult for something like this to happen to a couple without it having an impact.
“Either it brings you together or the relationship breaks down, and unfortunately I feel that is what happened with me and Zi.”
Despite their separation, Jesy insists there is no bitterness between them.
The former couple are understood to remain on good terms and continue to co-parent their daughters.
Jesy says her only priority is protecting Ocean and Story and creating the most positive environment possible for them.
“I do not have any bad feelings,” she says.
“My children are my number one priority, so I just want to be the best mother I can be.”
Jesy is now caring for the twins with support from her mother, Janice White, while adjusting to the medical and emotional realities of their condition.
She has shared glimpses of family life in her documentary, including the specialist equipment required by the girls and the difficult adaptations made throughout the home.
However, Jesy has also used her experience to launch a wider campaign for SMA testing to be included in routine newborn screening across England.
She has argued that identifying the condition as early as possible could allow babies to receive treatment before serious symptoms develop.
A petition supporting the campaign is due to be debated in Parliament on 22 June.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also announced plans for approximately 400,000 babies to be screened for SMA through the heel-prick blood test from October 2026.
The proposed rollout would begin earlier than the previous target of January 2027.
At present, the NHS newborn blood spot programme screens babies at around five days old for a number of rare but treatable conditions, including cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease.
Jesy previously appeared on ITV’s This Morning, where she pledged to continue speaking publicly until further action was taken.
Her documentary is expected to explore not only the breakdown of her engagement but also the strength she has found through motherhood and campaigning.
Ocean and Story recently celebrated their first birthday, with Jesy sharing photographs from a pastel-themed family party.
In an emotional message, she described the girls as her “heart and soul” and said she loved them more than they could ever understand.
The singer’s relationship with Zion may have ended, but both parents remain devoted to their daughters.
For Jesy, the months since the diagnosis have brought heartbreak, uncertainty and a dramatic change to the future she had once imagined.
Yet she is now determined to turn her family’s painful experience into change — while building a loving and secure life for Ocean and Story.
