Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson has revealed that her baby twins have been diagnosed with a serious health condition which will likely leave them unable to walk.
The singer, 34, gave birth to her first children - twin girls called Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster - with her partner Zion Foster in May 2025.
She had undergone a complicated pregnancy with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, with the pair being born at 31 weeks and five days.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Jesy revealed that her eight-month-old daughters have been diagnosed with SMA1 - a severe form of spinal muscular atrophy.
She told her followers that after "the most gruelling three or four months" her girls had been diagnosed with the genetic neuromuscular condition, which causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting due to the loss of motor neurons.
Jesy explained that it "affects every muscle in the body down to legs, arms, breathing and swallowing", adding: "Essentially what it does over time is it kills the muscles in the body."
She heartbreakingly revealed: "If it's not treated in time your baby's life expectancy will not make it past the age of two."
The singer told her followers that the girls are being treated a London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, where doctors told them the the twins "are probably never going to be able to walk or regain their neck strength so they will be disabled."
She added: "The best thing we can do right now is get them treatment and hope for the best."
Jesy also revealed that early detection and treatment is key to save the muscles as there are treatments which can slow the progression of the disease, but any muscles that are already affected can no longer be saved.
She revealed that as her babies were born premature, doctors had told her not to focus on them hitting the tradition milestones at the same time as full-term babies would, as they would reach them in their own time.
Visits with medical professionals had also not flagged any early concerns as the babies had appeared to be developing well.
Jesy revealed that it was her mother who first notice that the twins were not moving as much as expected, and she and Zion soon realised they were also struggling to feed properly.
She explained: "After the most gruelling three, four months and endless appointments the girls have now been diagnosed with a severe muscular disease - SMA Type 1.
"Once the girls got treated, it was a very rapid process because time is of the essence with this disease. I am so grateful for because without it they will die."
She added: "It has just been endless hospital appointments, I feel like the hospital has become my second home and I feel like I have had to become a nurse because I have to put them on breathing machines and do stuff that no mother should have to do with their child."
Jesy broke down as she admitted: "The last few months have been the most heartbreaking time of my life. I literally feel like my whole life has done a 360. I almost feel like I am grieving a life I thought I was going to have with my children.
"I truly believe my girls will defy all the odds with the right help and do things that have never been done."
She revealed that she had decided to share their story to help other parents in the same position and to raise awareness of the condition, including the early warning signs such as floppiness, bell-shaped stomachs, and rapid breathing.
She also stressed the importance of a heel prick test at birth "which can literally save their legs, and so many parts of their body."
Babies are born with SMA if both parents carry a faulty gene which causes the condition, with one in 40 people being a carrier.
In just the last six years, there have been great leaps forward in treatment for babies with SMA Type 1.
Prior to 2019, babies born with the condition often wouldn't live until their second birthday, while those with the milder form of the disease would likely never be able to walk, as well as facing severe respiratory infections.
However, if it is detected early enough, there are now treatments which can stop the disease in its tracks if they are started in the first days or weeks of a baby's life.
Currently, babies in the UK are not routinely tested for SMA, meaning for many the diagnosis could come too late.