By HUGO DUNCAN, BUSINESS EDITOR

Published: 19:04 EDT, 12 April 2026 | Updated: 22:45 EDT, 12 April 2026

Jesy Nelson shared a heartwarming clip of her twin daughters on Friday after sharing they’re set to undergo more tests during their battle with spinal muscular atrophy.

The singer, 34, revealed in January her now nine-month-old twins, Ocean and Story, had been diagnosed with SMA Type 1, a rare muscle-wasting condition, and she has since been focused on caring for her little ones.

Jesy shared a touching clip of one of her babies with a feeding tube in her nose, giggling while being held by one of her pals.

She captioned the post: ‘There’s nothing better than coming home to this.’

On Thursday, Jesy took to Instagram to share a sweet photo of her baby girls lying side-by-side on a hospital bed as they were examined by a doctor. 

The twins both adorably wore matching yellow and pink baby grows and had feeding tubes in their noses. 

In the snap, Ocean was seen staring and Story as she was examined and Jesy wrote: ‘Ocean’s face she’s like “I see what you doing to my sister”‘.  

Since her twins were diagnosed, Jesy has been campaigning for the NHS to introduce newborn testing on babies for SMA1, having said that a late diagnosis meant her twins are unable to ever walk.

Despite the UK’s National Screening Committee rejecting calls to introduce checks for another muscular disease in January, last week Wes Streeting announced plans for more than 400,000 babies to be screened for the condition from October 2026.

However, Jesy told fans there is a long way to go as only certain areas in England will be carrying out the tests on newborns.

‘It is bit bittersweet because basically they are only doing it in certain areas of England, so if you do not live in that certain postcode or part of England then your baby won’t be tested for SMA, which is really sad’, she explained.

‘It’s essentially a postcode lottery for your baby which shouldn’t be the case. All babies lives matter, so as amazing as it is there is still a long way to go in terms of that.

‘I’m going to keep pushing and trying as much as possible to get this so it is in all areas of England and then also the petition you all kindly signed getting 100,000 signatures is now going to be debated in parliament which is just amazing.

‘That is all down to you guys so thank you so so much, you’re incredible and I am so appreciated of all the support and love, thank you so much.’ 

At the start of the video, Jesy celebrated the ‘major milestone’ and said she is ‘really proud’ how far the campaign has come. 

She said: ‘I just wanted to come on here to share some information and news that I have heard over the last couple of days. 

‘As you know I’ve been campaigning to try and get SMA as part of the newborn screening here in England. My girls were diagnosed with SMA Type 1 and unfortunately they weren’t tested at birth because it wasn’t here in England.

‘They have now decided to roll that out in October for all babies in England to be tested at birth for SMA, which is absolutely incredible. 

‘I know it is a really big moment for the SMA community because this has been going on for years trying to get this passed, so yeah it is a real proud moment.’

The singer has campaigned tirelessly for the NHS to expand its screening to check for spinal muscular atrophy following her own experience with her daughters.

The pilot will see an estimated 400,000 babies tested in England.

The NHS currently carries out ‘heel prick’ tests on babies at around five-days-old to check for just 10 treatable conditions, including cystic fibrosis. 

In a letter addressed to the singer and Giles Lomax, chief executive of SMA UK, Streeting said: ‘At our meeting I committed to seeing whether the in-service evaluation of SMA screening could be implemented faster and cover a wider geographical areas. 

‘I am pleased to confirm that [screening] will now start in October this year rather than January 2027 as previously planned.’ 

Despite her nine-month-old daughters’ devastating prognosis they may not live beyond the age of two, Jesy last month explained that despite the tragic news, she has decided to keep filming her Prime Video series as she fights to ‘make a change’. 

In a Q&A, she said: ‘I just hope people continue to watch the next part of the journey. When the girls got their diagnosis, we decided that we wanted to continue filming.

‘As hard as it was, we were like, ‘You know what? There’s a reason you guys are here, and we’ve got to make the best out of this situation’.’

Jesy previously told the 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.  

Jesy 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.

She said: ‘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. 

Speaking to Jamie Laing on his Great Company podcast, Jesy said she is hopeful that her babies will defy the odds now that they are receiving treatment and go on to have a longer life expectancy.

She explained: ‘So spinal muscular atrophy is a muscular wasting disease, so they don’t have a gene that we all have in our body.

‘Their muscles are now deteriorating and wasting away, and if you don’t get them treatment in time, eventually the muscles will all just die, which then affects the breathing, the swallowing, everything. And they will die before the age of two.

‘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.’

After having a pint of blood drained from your arm, most donors would be forgiven if they enjoy the complimentary snack and get on with their day.

But your blood is at the beginning of its journey – through freezers, high-tech machines, and across countries – to produce life-saving medicines.

Metro went behind the scenes at one of the UK’s three blood manufacturing sites in Colindale, north London, to find out what happens to your bag of blood after you donate it.

In the lab, scientists are working around the clock to extract the ‘liquid gold’in a little-known process vital to the future of the NHS.

As many as 2,000 bags of whole blood arrive at the doors of NHS Blood and Transplant’s Colindale hub every day.

The race is then on to process the packs within 27 hours of donation to maintain the quality of the final products.

One of these is red blood cells, which are used to treat people who have suffered blood loss, trauma and surgery.

But 55 per cent of our blood is a yellowish fluid called plasma.

Dubbed ‘liquid gold’, it contains vital antibodies that can be made into medicines that save and improve lives. But that is a few steps away.

Your 470ml bag of blood is firstly strung up and filtered to remove the white blood cells, which fight infections and foreign invaders.

Staff – often working throughout the night – then place the filtered blood into a large spinning machine called a centrifuge.

Once your bag is spun around, you’ll suddenly see the yellow plasma has separated from the red blood cells.

A fancy press is used to pump these two products into different bags.

Those red cells are then stored at 4C until test results – taken when you give blood and analysed in Bristol – confirm the blood is safe to give to hospitals.

When your blood is used, you’ll get a text saying which hospital your blood went to.

Your plasma, on the hand, needs to be blast frozen in a rapid freezer, reaching -20C in one hour.

Some of those bags of plasma are also sent to hospitals to help treat severe bleeding.

But the other bags of plasma get a whole lot chillier, as they are destined to be made into crucial new medicines.

Plasma is used to produce – long word incoming – immunoglobulins, which treat more than 50 devastating autoimmune conditions, as well as albumins, which treat severe burns and traumatic injuries.

More than 17,000 people rely on immunoglobulins every year.

Up until 2021, there was a 25-year ban on plasma from Brits being used to create these medicines because of concerns around ‘mad cow’s disease’, or Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease.

In March last year – four years after that ban was lifted – the first immunoglobulins from a UK donor went into the arms of an NHS patient.

But the health service doesn’t yet have the tech to process our plasma into these small vials of medicine, so they have to be shipped to Europe instead.

So while the bags of plasma wait to leave the UK, they are kept at a bone-chilling -40C, which requires industrial-sized coats and gloves to stop workers – and the odd journalist – from being frozen stiff.

Once the removal van arrives, staff at the Colindale hub have just minutes to move boxes of plasma into mobile freezers, which will drive them out of London.

Thousands of vulnerable NHS patients have now received life-saving medicines made from British-donated plasma since March 2025.

Despite this success, the UK is still more than 75% reliant on immunoglobulin from other countries.

Jan Majkowski, who is Plasma Performance and Efficient Lead at the Colindale site and showed Metro around, said: ‘Plasma is instrumental to the process of blood donation and blood services.

‘The fractions of plasma are invaluable. They are critical in treating rare diseases and common diseases like haemophilia and immune diseases.

‘The only support for these people is to receive these plasma transfusions.’

NHSBT say they still need more donations to make the health service more self-sufficient.

It is an important part of the government’s 10 Year Health Plan ambition to build an NHS that is resilient to shocks by reducing the UK’s dependence on imported medicines.

It will also be crucial to the around 17,000 NHS patients who rely on plasma-derived immunoglobulin every year.

There are even plasma-only donation centres, located in Birmingham, Reading and Twickenham, which means donors can come back every two weeks instead of the normal four for blood donors.

Your bag of plasma also has other purposes too.

Sometimes it will be thawed for more than 16 hours to form vital clotting factors, which are separated from the plasma and used to treat bleeding disorders like haemophilia.

The Colindale blood hub can take fragments in our blood – called platelets – and combine them for use in cancer treatments and surgical procedures.

These platelets have to be kept on constantly moving agitators to keep them viable.

As many as 800,000 people donate blood every year, but more are still needed.

NHSBT analysis revealed last year that there is an annual shortfall of over 200,000 donors to meet growing demand.

The NHS urgently needs more donors of Black heritage, because they are more likely to have the Ro blood subtype which is vital for treating sickle cell disorder.

Sickle cell is most common amongst people from Black African, Black Caribbean and Mixed heritage.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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The NHS is only days away from running out of some supplies because of the Iran war, the head of the health service in England has warned.

Sir Jim Mackey said ‘we are really worried’ about potential shortfalls in the number of critical supplies like syringes, masks and surgical equipment.

Deliveries have been affected by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with shipments either being held up completely or having to be diverted around the world.

Asked about what contingency planning is in place in the NHS because ‘the UK imports 75% of its medicine’, Sir Jim said: ‘We are really worried about this.

‘We’ve already had a couple of supply shocks in the last 12 to 18 months of key supplies.’

He said there is a team in place to ‘focus on where the risks might be through the supply chains’.

Asked on the LBC phone-in how much supply there is, he replied: ‘It depends what you’re talking about.

‘In every area, we’ve got enough to get through for a reasonable period… so generally, a few weeks

‘Because things perish and it costs money to store and various other things go out of out of use, you can’t hold years and years of supply, generally dependent on the product we keep a reasonable period.

‘Some of that is held centrally, some held locally.’

Asked what was at risk, Sir Jim said: ‘Well, everything, honestly – everything’s at risk.’

Asked whether in some instances it would be ‘weeks’ worth of supply’, he replied: ‘Yeah, it could be days for some products.’

On Monday, the Independent Pharmacies Association said the UK was facing a ‘perfect storm of factors exacerbating medicine shortages’.

Chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck said: ‘The UK pharmacy sector depends heavily on imports, particularly from India and China, and ongoing pressures, from rising energy costs to constrained raw ingredients from the Middle East conflict, are already disrupting supply and risk worsening shortages without decisive action.’

Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association said: ‘We’re not currently seeing shortages of medicine directly linked to the conflict in the Middle East, but pharmacies are seeing disturbing spikes in prices which can be an early indicator of challenges.

He added that ‘the supply chain is very international’ and said ‘we import a lot of medicines, but it’s an international system’.

‘The Department of Health have issued unprecedented numbers of price concessions designed to cope with price surges, which are likely exacerbated by this current situation.

‘The NHS has driven down the price of medicines over many years, which leaves the UK vulnerable in a global market and contributes to the rising problem of medicine shortages, which are a daily reality for many years for our members.

‘Pharmacies will always do everything they can to ensure patients get the medicines they need but they must do this in an increasingly competitive global market.

‘The Government needs to ensure both that physical supply routes are protected during this conflict but also ensure that the NHS is providing sufficient funding to ensure that Britain is not left behind in the international market at a time when both supply and demand for medicines are very challenging.’

A Government spokesperson said: ‘There are currently no reported medicine shortages as a result of conflict in the Middle East.

‘We continue to monitor the situation closely for any impacts on the medical supply chain.

‘The department actively monitors emerging threats to supply resilience and has established processes in place to manage disruption across the health and social care sector.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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By RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT and CHRIS POLLARD, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 09:51 EDT, 27 March 2026 | Updated: 10:24 EDT, 27 March 2026

NHS dentists will be incentivised to treat urgent cases

Patients across Peterborough will be able to get urgent dentist appointments more easily due to an upcoming nationwide overhaul of NHS dentistry.

That was the view shared by Pam Green, Director of Neighbourhood Health, Places and Partnerships at a meeting of the Prevention, Independence and Resilience Scrutiny Committee at Sand Martin House on Monday night (March 23).

The meeting saw NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board (ICB) update the committee on dentistry, outlining actions taken to improve access to NHS dentist appointments.

Ms Green explained that a major overhaul to the contracts the government agrees with NHS dentistry providers means that, from April, urgent care will be prioritised over regular care:

“The fundamental change to the contract is the pricing,” she said. “The national pricing has changed, and the incentives, too.”

She went on: “It’s a more logical way to incentivise on-the-day access and not constantly seeing six-month reviews – the previous contract encouraged reviews as opposed to that urgent access.”

Going forward, NHS dentists will be financially incentivised to carry out fewer check-ups and instead use that time to treat urgent cases like severe tooth pain, dental infections, trauma to teeth, or other conditions that need rapid treatment.

“The model… was so linked to six-month reviews that actually it stopped people being able to get [NHS dental] access,” Ms Green summarised. This new approach, she said, would help “free up capacity”.

Councillor Asim Mahmood (Lab) and Councillor Heather Skibsted (Greens) both asked Ms Green why routine general access to NHS dentists – akin to going to see your local GP – was not available in the way that it used to be three or four decades ago.

“Dentistry absolutely is there for everyone but it’s never been the same offer as General Practice (GP),” she replied. “It’s a perception that everyone is registered with an NHS dentist and that just isn’t the case. What our urgent dental access is saying is that, irrespective of whether you’re registered, you should be able to access care.”

Following question a from Cllr Skibstead enquiring about the ICB’s “vision” for dentistry in the city, Ms Green acknowledged that it will take time for the new ways of working to become established.

“We will see a change in the way access is derived,” she said, “[but] we’ve got to work that through. We want people to be able to access [NHS] dentistry on the frequency that is appropriate… [and] offer, where there is need, the right level of service.

“That is the vision. I promise you that the dental contract changes will help us get there.”

For 14 years, Shannon Higham battled red, inflamed and unbearably itchy patches of scaly skin that covered her body and scalp.

‘When my skin is itchy, I can’t help but scratch it – even when the blood starts to run,’ she says.

‘I rarely wear my hair up because of the scaly patches on my hairline and down my neck. It left me mortified.’

It would take Shannon more than a decade to find a solution to her psoriasis, which involved radically changing her diet and skincare routine.

Shannon, now 26, was diagnosed with psoriasis – an autoimmune condition affecting more than one million Britons – at just 12 years old, something she believes was triggered by hormonal changes.

She was prescribed a topical steroid cream, which initially brought relief. But it did little to protect her from the cruelty of classmates.

‘I remember a boy at school said my head looked like a snow globe because of my flaky skin,’ she recalls.

‘I went home and cried to my mum – I felt so embarrassed. No matter how many specialist shampoos I used, it didn’t get any better.’

Even at the height of summer, Shannon would cover up.

‘When everyone else was in short sleeves, I’d still wear long-sleeved shirts because I didn’t want people to see the patches on my arms,’ she says.

‘My skin would get so itchy it would bleed through my white shirt. It completely shattered my confidence.’

The comments didn’t stop.

‘I remember a boy asking me in PE, “What are those dots all over your legs? Have you got chicken pox?” After that, I refused to wear shorts and stuck to leggings.’

While the steroid creams worked briefly, the inflammation would quickly return.

Years of use also came at a cost.

‘I feel betrayed by the doctors who prescribed them for so long because no one warned me about the side-effects,’ she says.

‘I have indentations all over my body where the steroids thinned my skin. They look like deep chicken pox scars – I knew I’d be marked for life.’

During college, Shannon, from Manchester, returned to the dermatologist and was offered phototherapy – a treatment using controlled UV light to reduce inflammation. UV rays are thought to help by suppressing the overactive immune system.

She attended sessions three times a week, with exposure gradually increased.

But the treatment was far from comfortable.

‘Around 90 per cent of the time I’d leave with these big white goggle marks because my skin had burned,’ she says.     

Although it helped temporarily, her psoriasis returned within a year.

It wasn’t until her twenties that Shannon began to notice a surprising trigger.

‘Through trial and error, I worked out that things like fizzy drinks really triggered psoriasis flare-ups on my face and arms.

‘My mum was always telling me to cut back on sugar and certain foods, but as a teenager I just thought, “Oh, shut up, Mum, I want to eat what I want.” Now I wish I’d listened.

‘It wasn‘t until I got older that I noticed that if I had something like a can of Coke, the next day my eyebrows, hairline and face would flare up,’ she explains.

‘Over time, it was obvious that if I’d had something with high sugar content the next day, I would be paying for it.‘

Determined to tackle the condition, she decided to overhaul her diet.

‘I cut out sugar and avoided ultra-processed foods because I realised they were making my skin really angry.’

Ultra-processed foods – which include ready meals, ice cream and even some sauces – are a staple of the modern British diet and are often packed with additives, sugar and preservatives.

A 2024 study published in JAMA Dermatology found that people who consumed high levels of such foods had a significantly increased risk of developing psoriasis, with researchers suggesting they may fuel inflammation in the body.

Experts believe psoriasis is linked to an overactive immune system, which speeds up skin cell production. While skin typically renews every three to four weeks, in sufferers it can occur in as little as three to seven days.

Shannon says she noticed a change almost instantly. 

‘My skin cleared up quickly,‘ she says. ‘It happened within four weeks once I stopped having these things that were triggering my symptoms.‘

As well as changing her diet, Shannon also simplified her skincare routine – cutting out fragranced products and fake tan, which she found aggravated her condition.

She began using ISOSKIN hypochlorous acid spray, an antimicrobial compound known to help calm inflammation.

Hypochlorous acid is a natural byproduct of the body’s immune response, produced by white blood cells to fight bacteria and infection.

Early research suggests that hypochlorous acid may improve psoriasis symptoms.

Some experts argue that because it mimics the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of the substance the body naturally produces, hypochlorous acid sprays can help both kill bacteria and reduce inflammation.

However, others stress that – while safe to use – hypochlorous acid is not an approved NHS psoriasis treatment. 

‘The first time I used it, I sprayed my entire hairline and slept in it overnight,’ Shannon says.

‘The relief I felt the next morning was incredible. It wasn’t itchy or inflamed – it just felt calm.

‘As well as cutting out sugar which dealt with the inflammation internally, I used the hypochlorous spray, which soothed my skin on the outside. 

‘It was a quick turnaround and I saw improvements within weeks. It was like my skin was thanking me.‘

She now uses it twice daily and says flare-ups clear within weeks.

Dr Philippa Kaye, a London GP, says that, while there is evidence that lifestyle changes may help with psoriasis, there is little to support the use of hypochlorous acid.

‘Psoriasis is an inflammatory condition so eating a healthy low-inflammation diet will likely help, though it won’t cure patients. 

‘Hypochlorous acid is meant to have mild antibacterial properties. It‘s a trendy treatment, and safe to take, but there‘s not evidence to call it a psoriasis treatment. It’s not something that GPs would use.‘

However, Shannon says the combination of diet changes and the skin care product have had a profound effect. 

‘My friends and family still comment now on how much my skin has cleared up,‘ she says.

‘They saw me through my worst times and how angry my skin would be, so doing something such as having my arms out would have them give me an instant compliment.‘

‘My confidence has improved massively,‘ she says. ‘I still get the odd flare-up if I drink cocktails or get stressed – but nothing like before.‘

And her biggest takeaway?

‘It sounds so simple but learning my triggers changed everything,‘ she says.

‘I don’t miss fizzy drinks at all – if anything, I’d choose water every time now.‘

Reflecting on her experience, she says: ‘If I could go back in time, I’d listen to my mum telling me to cut out sugar and I’d never have touched the steroid creams. 

‘They cleared my skin for a bit, but now I’m left with scars and white patches I can never get rid of.‘

By JAMIE BOYS, REPORTER

Published: 19:07 EDT, 23 March 2026 | Updated: 23:08 EDT, 23 March 2026

The transplant list is at a record high, with more than 8,000 people waiting for organs

Two hospitals in Cambridge are at the heart of a trial that could see hundreds more lives saved each year. Hundreds more organs could be saved for transplant every year thanks to preservation techniques being trialled by NHS doctors at hospitals including Addenbrooke’s and Royal Papworth in Cambridge.

Several major hospitals in England are running a pilot to keep donor organs preserved for longer so checks can be carried out to see whether they are suitable for transplant. There is not always enough time to carry out tests on organs before they need to be used, meaning doctors are not always confident about accepting them for operations.

If successful, the pilot would lead to the first full national network in the world for reconditioning organs. Under the scheme, up to 750 more organ transplants could be carried out every year – a 19% rise on current figures. This could include up to 202 more liver transplants being carried out, up to 202 more lung transplants, and up to 345 additional kidney transplants.

Perfusion is a technique for circulating oxygenated blood or nutrient-rich fluids through organs, preserving their function and enabling more time for them to be assessed. The first lung pilot centre has opened at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, and will be followed by lung pilot sites at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and Harefield Hospital in London.

A dedicated perfusion suite at Addenbrooke’s opened last year and is the first of its kind in the UK. Some 12 liver and kidney pilot centres will also open in the coming months.

Addenbrooke’s multi-visceral transplant lead, Mr Andrew Butler, welcomed the trial, explaining that perfusion machines provide a greater opportunity accept multiple organs and match them to recipients. An example was a liver that was perfused for 32 hours before half of it was successfully used to assist a 15-year-old patient.

Mr Butler, who helped pioneer the perfusion technique, said: “Our greatest wish is to honour the gift from the donor by using it to save the life of another person. We are proud to have played a key role in the development of the perfusion machine, since it greatly improves the odds of achieving that goal and we are delighted to be selected as one of the ARC pilot sites.”

Transplant list at record high

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) says changes are needed to save more organs owing to the record high transplant waiting list, which is consistently over 8,000 people. The potential donor pool is also falling as people live longer and have long-term health conditions.

Derek Manas, medical director for organ and tissue donation and transplantation at NHSBT, told the Press Association the aim is to create “centres of excellence” that benefit patients across the country. Some trusts already have perfusion techniques but the aim is to standardise practice and create a network.

“There are two aims of perfusion,” he said. “One is to extend the preservation time – the standard currently is to put all organs in a box of ice. What the perfusion machines will do is give us more time to keep the organs viable… So you can keep organs on a machine until the theatre is available, until surgeons are available, until anaesthetic staff are available and so on.

“The length of time will depend on each organ. The heart still probably has the least extended time. At the moment, in a box of ice, you’ve got about three hours at the most, but with machine perfusion you’ve got eight hours and probably longer. For livers, you can probably extend the time to 12 to 24 hours.

“We’re not sure exactly how long we can extend the time for, but it certainly will make a significant difference to transplants. The other value of perfusion is assessing the functionality of the organs. Most organ donors now are older… so putting organs on a machine allows you to assess their function.”

He said several hospitals do perfusion “but the pilot is about trying to find where the best location should be”. He added: “It’s hugely inequitable at the moment, because some patients are getting the benefit and others are not. The pilot will hopefully change that.”

Programme could save hundreds of lives

With perfusion, organs are connected to a device by tubes going into the arteries. Organs are then fed blood or an oxygenated substance, plus nutrients. Waste products such as bile are removed. With a full reconditioning network, organs could also receive additional reconditioning treatments, such as surgical repairs, medications, blood group changing or cell therapies.

Dr Zubir Ahmed, the Government’s health innovation and safety minister, said: “Every person waiting for a transplant deserves the best possible chance of receiving one. We are committed to funding this crucial programme because, as part of our plans to build an NHS fit for the future, we want to use the latest technology to give clinicians more time and better tools to assess organs safely, honouring the extraordinary generosity of donors and their families.

“This programme could mean saving and transforming hundreds of lives that might otherwise have been lost. As a transplant surgeon, I know first-hand what that can mean for patients and families, and I am proud that the UK is leading the world in this approach.”

Jesy Nelson celebrated ‘superhuman’ mums on her first Mother’s Day on Sunday – amid her twins’ heartbreaking health battle.

The Little Mix star, 34, welcomed her daughters prematurely in May 2025 with her ex-fiancé, Zion Foster.

But last month, she revealed the devastating news that both babies had been diagnosed with genetic neuromuscular disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 (SMA1). 

The condition weakens the muscles by affecting the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, and Type 1 is the most common and severe form, with life expectancy estimated at less than two years without medical intervention.

On Sunday she shared snaps from a recent campaign shoot with families and their children with various health difficulties and disabilities.

She penned in the caption of her post: ‘Happy Mother’s Day to all the super human amazing mummas out there.

‘For anyone who finds today difficult, my heart goes out you. I had the chance to sit down with some incredible mums and families to celebrate women and the true powerhouses they are.

‘It was so incredibly special hearing their stories and learning about their amazing children who have had to overcome so much in their life. I cannot wait to share with you all their inspiring stories.’

In another post, she gave a special nod to all those who are not able to share the day with their mothers.

Jesy recently candidly opened up on her babies’ heartbreaking diagnosis in her documentary Life After Little Mix, and often shares updates about their health battle on Instagram.

The heartwarming post comes after Jesy recently revealed that she burst into tears when she saw the girls’ special feeding chairs.

As SMA1 causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting, Ocean and Story require feeding tubes due to severe swallowing, sucking and breathing difficulties, and need specially designed chairs to give them extra postural support.

After the two chairs arrived, the sight brought their mother to tears, as she explained it was ‘another reminder of another obstacle we have to tackle’ amid their health battle.

Alongside a snap of the chair, she penned: ‘So the girls need special feeding chairs that came yesterday and I couldn’t help but burst into tears yesterday when I saw them.

‘It just made me feel so sad as it’s just another reminder of another obstacle we have to tackle. Do any other SMA mummies feel this way?’

As well as caring for her babies, Jesy is currently hard at work campaigning for the NHS to expand the standard heel prick test to check for SMA1.

She has said that, had her twins had the test – which costs around £1 – and been diagnosed and started treatment earlier, their legs could have been saved.

And the star has already succeeded in getting a petition to reach over 100,000 signatures, calling for the government to fund and fast-track the process, meaning Parliament must consider it for debate.

But as she continues to push for the screening to be included in the newborn blood spot test and care for her daughters’ medical needs, Jesy revealed she has parked her music career.

Appearing on Heart FM’s Breakfast show, she told Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston: ‘Look listen I’d 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 described caring for the twins to the Daily Mail as an emotional rollercoaster, with some days being ‘really f***ing s***’ and others slightly lighter.

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

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

‘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,’ Jesy told the Daily Mail.

‘There are a lot of medical things I have to do which I am still really struggling with, I’ll be honest with you. I never expected that to be part of my life and it’s tough.

‘They’re so tiny and I have to do things which I know are doing them good but at the time, when they’re crying and screaming, it feels like I’m hurting them and I hate that I have to be the person to do that. I just want to be their mum.’

When asked about a typical day with her twin daughters, Jesy said it’s impossible to describe, as no day is ever the same emotionally.

She added: ‘I don’t know how to explain my life in the day because sometimes it’s really f***ing s*** and then, other times, I don’t necessarily forget about their diagnosis but there are days [that] are lighter and they’re not as heavy.

‘So many mums have told me that’s what it’s going to be like and that’s why I need to take each day as it comes. It’s a rollercoaster; I don’t feel like this is going to be a steady journey at all.’

She has also addressed the tragic prognosis that Ocean and Story may not live beyond the age of two.

Speaking to Jamie Laing on his Great Company podcast, Jesy said she was hopeful that her babies would  defy the odds now that they are receiving treatment.

‘So spinal muscular atrophy is a muscular wasting disease, so they don’t have a gene that we all have in our body,’ she said.

‘Their muscles are now deteriorating and wasting away, and if you don’t get them treatment in time, eventually the muscles will all just die, which then affects the breathing, the swallowing, everything. And they will die before the age of two.

‘It’s not OK, 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.’