Jesy Nelson celebrates SMA testing victory after her twins' diagnosis
16 July 2026, 14:47 | Updated: 16 July 2026, 16:26
Jesy Nelson has emotionally taken to Instagram to celebrate the historic SMA testing victory after her twins were diagnosed with the condition last year.
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Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson is celebrating the efforts of herself and many others as SMA screening will officially be rolled out across the whole of England.
Shortly after her twin daughters, Ocean and Story, were born, they were diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disease that causes muscle weakness and progressive muscle wasting.
Since receiving that life-changing news, Jesy has campaigned tirelessly for newborn screenings to be introduced in England. From hospital appointments to medical procedures, Jesy has been publicly open about the life-changing journey she and her family have been on.
With a new Amazon Prime show on the horizon, Jesy is now celebrating a historic milestone that she has described as a "victory for every family".
In an Instagram video, Jesy shared the life-changing news that SMA screening will officially be rolled out across the whole of England from October this year, starting with seven sites then a further six.
Sharing the positive news, Jesy said: "Morning guys, today is a very, very, very special day. The other day I had a really important phone call with James Murray and Sharon Hodgson, and they let me know that SMA is going to be rolled out across the whole of England."
She added: "I just feel super emotional. I feel super proud. I'm just so proud of, you know, every single person that got behind this campaign and all the families and people that have been working so tirelessly to get it to this point because this has been going on for years now.
"Families have been campaigning for years to get this as part of the heel prick test. And to know today it's been officially announced no baby is going to get missed now. No baby's going to get untreated or undiagnosed. And just to know now that future babies' lives are going to look so different is just amazing."
Despite receiving the "super heartbreaking" news about her daughters' diagnosis, Jesy was determined to make it their "superpower" which she's done.
Reflecting on the future, Jesy said: "As they get older and understand, I wanted them to feel empowered and I didn't want this to define them and make them feel less than.
"I can't wait till they're old enough to understand this moment and they can understand that their story was part of huge change."
In her parting message, Jesy admitted it was an "amazing day" and thanked everyone for their continuous support.
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