Jesy Nelson breaks down in tears after her petition to fund SMA1 screening reaches 100K signatures and will now be debated by MPs – following her twin daughters’ devastating diagnosis

Jesy Nelson broke down in tears after her petition for SMA1 screening at birth reached 100,000 on Friday and meant it would now have to be debated by MPs in the House of Commons.

The former Little Mix star, 34, welcomed twin daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, whom she shares with ex Zion Foster, prematurely in May 2025 and they were later diagnosed with the devastating condition. 

The genetic neuromuscular disease SMA1 causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting, and feeding tubes are required due to severe swallowing, sucking and breathing difficulties.

Jesy has been demanded the NHS expand the standard heel prick test to check for the condition and said test which cost around £1 each could have saved [her twins’] legs’ by giving them access to earlier treatment.  

Now taking to Instagram the singer shared a clip of herself and a group of pals watching the signatures rise, before finally hitting 100,000 leaving them all collapsing into both cheers and tears – the total has since then risen to way over 120,000. 

An emotional Jesy captioned the post: ‘I cannot actually put into words how grateful I am that this moment has just happened right here! And it is all thanks to you guys’.

‘Thank you to every single person that took time out of their day to sign this petition. You have no idea how much this means to me and the SMA community. This is the first hurdle but we bloody did it and I truly believe that together we are going to make change!’. 

As she continues to campaign for screening for the condition to be included in the newborn blood spot test, she’s revealed she has parked her music career.

Appearing on Heart FM’s Breakfast show on Thursday, Jesy told Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston her focus is now solely on the twins.

She explained: ‘Look listen I’d never say never say never to music, but for me, my girls are my main focus, I’ll be honest with you, I’ve not got time, I really don’t.

‘They are my whole heart and soul and my main focus, and I want to continue advocating for them and getting this heel prick test changed and getting them strong, that’s my main focus.

‘Because that’s going to determine their future. That’s my main focus right now.’

She previously told Daily Mail the medical procedures her babies must endure each day leave her feeling like she’s hurting them as they cry and scream.

She described caring for the twins as an emotional rollercoaster, with some days being ‘really f***ing s***’ and others slightly lighter. 

She and ex-partner Zion never expected to be caring for their babies in such a way, and Jesy says having to provide for their medical needs is a daily struggle.

Jesy told the Daily Mail: ‘Every day is so full-on – I can speak about it, but I’ll never be able to explain how intense it is until you see it.

Meanwhile in her new Prime Video documentary Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix, Jesy laid bare the mystery behind her departure from the band.

But despite the sisterly bond she formed with her bandmates Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall, the singer said they were more like strangers after she abruptly quit following a secret suicide attempt in 2020. 

‘Before I had a discussion with the girls I had to think about where I am legally – like, can I even come out of it now?’ she recalled. 

‘Unfortunately, the lawyer ended up letting them know that I wanted to leave, before I could let them know, so I think they felt really hurt by that, and it should never have played out like that. 

‘I feel mad that that was taken away from me, and I didn’t get an opportunity to explain why I couldn’t do this anymore.’ 

At the time of her overdose, Nelson was scheduled  to appear in the final of Little Mix’s BBC talent show The Search, with her absence prompting host Chris Ramsey to explain that she had ‘fallen ill.’ 

And the singer says her lawyer’s decision to confirm her departure without prior permission drove a wedge between her and the band.  

She added: ‘Mentally, I’d got myself ready and I was like, “Right , I want to sit down with the girls now and I want to chat to them and tell them why I did what I did, and how I’ve been feeling, and just really explain to them, and try to make them understand how I was feeling.” 

‘And then my manager called, and she was like, “So, I’ve spoken to the girls, and they are happy to chat with you, but they don’t feel comfortable being in a room with you unless there’s a therapist there.”

‘I was like, “What? I’ve just come out of hospital, this is the time I need you the most.” I didn’t feel like they were my sisters. It’s been five years now; everytime I think about it I’m like, “Was it them, or was it the management?” I will never know that because we never got to have that conversation. 

‘And then eventually there was a phone call, and it was really awkward. It was just so weird because it was like talking to strangers. 

‘It was the most uncomfortable phone call I’ve ever had, no one knew what to say, and that was the last time I ever spoke to them as a group.’