Jesy Nelson admits concerns she will ‘feel heartbroken for the rest of my life’
By Pierra Willix, Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter
Jesy Nelson has broken down in tears as she admitted feeling she will be “heartbroken for the rest of my life”.
The former Little Mix star, 35, has been followed by cameras for the new Amazon Prime documentary Jesy Nelson: Life Changing.
The series sees her fighting to change UK newborn screening laws after her twins, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, were diagnosed with the rare condition spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
Sharing the trailer on Instagram, Nelson wrote: “I’m really not sure where to start with this one… All I can say is that I urge everyone to watch this documentary. It’s the most heartbreaking series I’ve ever had to make, but it’s one that needed to be made if we’re ever going to see real change.
“This is only a small glimpse into what my girls have to go through every single day. It’s the reality that so many children born with SMA have to endure and this is only the beginning of their lives.
“I truly hope this helps people understand why the heel prick test and treatment from birth are so incredibly vital. Early diagnosis can change EVERYTHING. I’ll keep saying it until no family has to experience this again: no future babies born with SMA should have lives that look like this.”
One clip in the trailer shows the moment the singer was told about her daughters’ diagnosis, holding back tears before she said: “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“My whole life has changed… I don’t know how we are going to do this,” she is then heard saying.
Speaking to the camera whilst crying, Nelson then said she felt like she was “going to feel heartbroken for the rest of my life”.
As Nelson is then seen advocating to have mandatory testing rolled out across the UK, she says she “refuses to allow anyone else to go through this”.
“They could have been able to walk and run and live how a child should live. That’s the part I’ll never be able to accept,” she added when speaking about her daughters’ conditions.
The documentary series has been billed by Prime Video as a “raw and powerful” look at Nelson as she “comes to terms with what the diagnosis means for her girls, adapts to the everyday challenges of their conditions, and finds her footing as a single mother after the break-up of her relationship”.
Nelson welcomed her daughters with now ex-fiance Zion Foster in May last year.
After being born prematurely, the girls were kept in hospital for three months, with Nelson going on to reveal earlier this year that they have both since been diagnosed with SMA.
According to the NHS, SMA causes muscle weakness, movement problems, issues with breathing and swallowing, muscle tremors, and bone and joint problems.
Nelson has since been campaigning for the condition to be added to the newborn blood spot screening test as early treatment can help avoid some of its most devastating effects.
Jesy Nelson: Life Changing will be released on July 17 on Prime Video.
