Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson has opened up about the heartbreaking reason she moved her family to Cornwall after a “traumatic” experience led her to seek a “peaceful” existence
Matt Jackson Live News Network Reporter and Robin Cottle Assistant Editor Trendswatch
06:00, 14 Jun 2026
Popstar Jesy Nelson had a heartbreaking reason for moving to Cornwall (Image: ITV)
Former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson opened up about the poignant reason behind relocating her family to Cornwall. The 34 year old chose to move her loved ones “six hours away” to establish a new life by the coast with her twin daughters.
The pop star welcomed Ocean Jade and Story Monroe last year with the babies celebrating their first birthday in May. Jesy and former partner Zion Foster faced a challenging pregnancy after the twins were diagnosed with TTTS (twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome).
This resulted in a premature delivery at merely 31 weeks. Due to the condition, Jesy endured three months of hospital stays before the babies arrived, with both girls immediately transferred to a neonatal unit following their birth.
The “traumatic” ordeal prompted Jesy and Zion to relocate to Cornwall in search of a “peaceful” existence. However, the twins subsequently received a diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) after Jesy’s mum noticed issues with their legs.
The illness results in progressive muscle weakness and deterioration. Jesy, who celebrates her birthday today (Sunday, June 14), discussed the relocation and the diagnosis during an appearance on the Great Company podcast with presenter Jamie Laing, reports Cornwall Live.
Jesy welcomed the twins with then partner Zion Foster last year (Image: INSTAGRAM)
Becoming emotional, she explained: “Me and Zion decided we wanted to move to Cornwall because we had been through all this trauma and we wanted them to grow up in a peaceful setting and be around the sea and live like a kid.”
Following her relocation to Cornwall, Jesy recalls how her mother Janice started observing the alarming rate at which her children were losing mobility in their legs. She recounted that Janice remarked the youngsters “don’t move their legs very much”.
The singer went on to say: “We went to Cornwall and I honestly was not even taking notice of their legs because they’re my first set of children and I don’t know how they should be moving their legs or what they should or shouldn’t be doing anyway.”
She continued: “Because we’d moved six hours away, my mum wasn’t with me every day and she noticed how much it had deteriorated and she was looking at them in their little rockers and she said, ‘Jesy, they don’t move their legs much, have you noticed that?’
Jesy moved to Cornwall looking for a “peaceful” existence
“And I was like, ‘Really?’ and she was like, ‘Yeah, have you not noticed they just don’t kick their legs? They and they should be kicking their legs’.”
Jesy admits she first attributed the twins’ limited movement to their premature birth at 31 weeks. This prompted her to seek medical advice from a paediatrician for proper assessment.
Upon consulting with the specialist, she recognised it was “something serious”. The physician indicated the children were displaying symptoms of hypertonia – poor muscle tone and tension.
Jesy, who has now called for all babies to be tested for SMA type one, described feeling as though her world was “spinning around” upon discovering her children’s heartbreaking diagnosis. She continued: “I Googled. And the first thing that comes up when you Google hypertonia is SMA type one.
Jesy and Zion got engaged in Cornwall last year – they have since split (Image: INSTAGRAM)
“And it says if you do not get treatment, your baby will not make it past the age of two. I just remember feeling like, you know, like in a movie when the person is standing and the whole world is just spinning around them, that’s what that moment felt like.”
Jesy outlined how SMA can impact muscles throughout the body, potentially affecting a child’s ability to breathe and swallow properly. Despite this, she expressed admiration for her daughters, insisting they will “defy the odds”.
“It’s not okay, but it is what it is, and I just have to accept it, and now just try and make the best out of this situation… And my girls are the strongest, most resilient babies and I really believe that they are going to defy all the odds,” she continued.
In September, Jesy and Zion revealed their engagement at Lusty Glaze Beach in Newquay. The couple have subsequently separated, though Jesy informed the Daily Mail they remain “united in co-parenting”.