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22 Feb 2026 4:35
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Jesy Nelson's ex-boyfriend Chris Hughes has branded her a "warrior" after she revealed her eight-month-old twin daughters have been diagnosed with a rare genetic condition

    The former Love Island star - who is dating singer and dancer JoJo Siwa - urged the Little Mix singer to "be easy" on herself as he commented on an Instagram video she made to reveal her kids Ocean and Story's heart-breaking SMA1 (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) diagnosis.


    Jesy revealed in the video her children had been diagnosed with "the most severe muscular disease", and she has been told they will "never walk".

    She wrote in the caption: "This means more than I can explain. PLEASE take time out and watch this.

    "If you listen to one thing today, let it be this.

    "Sharing something deeply personal and important please take some time to watch and share if you can"

    Chris - who dated Jesy from 2018 until 2020 - commented: "A warrior Jess. Be easy on yourself. Sending prayers to you all, everyone behind you guys"

    The TV presenter's comment has been liked more than 10,500 times, at the time of writing, and Jesy's video has been liked more than 449,000 times.

    In the clip, Jesy - who has her twins with partner Zion Foster - said: "The girls have now been diagnosed with a severe muscle disease called SMA type one. For those of you who don't know what SMA type one is, it's a severe muscular disease that a baby can get.

    "It's done for Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which can affect, well it does affect every muscle in the body, down to legs, arms, breathing, swallowing.

    "And essentially, what it does is, over time, it kills the muscle to the body, and if it's not treated in time, your baby's life expectancy will not make it past the age of two."

    She also explained her daughters were assessed at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and she was told her children would both be disabled and "never able to walk".

    The singer said: "When they assessed the girls at Great Ormond Street, we were told that they will never be able to walk and never regain their neck strength, so they will be disabled."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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