A former Little Mix star reveals her twin daughters will never walk.

Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson has revealed that her twin daughters have been diagnosed with a rare genetic condition, which means they’ll “probably never walk.”

The singer gave birth prematurely to Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster last May with musician Zion Foster.

On Sunday, Nelson said in an Instagram video that the girls had spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which he described as “the most serious muscle disease.”

“It affects every muscle in the body, from the legs to the arms to breathing to swallowing,” he said.

In the video, she mentioned that her daughters’ legs were not moving as much as they should and that they were struggling to eat properly.

“After the most difficult three or four months and endless appointments, the girls have now been diagnosed with a severe form of muscle disease called SMA Type 1,” she said.

“Essentially, it destroys the body’s muscles over time, and if it is not treated in time, your child’s life expectancy will not exceed two years.”

Nelson said the girls were evaluated at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

There, she said, she was told that her daughters “would probably never be able to walk. They would probably never regain the strength of their neck, so they would be disabled.”

He said he has been receiving treatment since then, for which he is “very grateful.”

“Because if they don’t have it, they’ll die.”

Nelson said she has had to work as a nurse and keep her daughter on “breathing machines” since her diagnosis.

“I wanted to make this video because the last three months have honestly been the most heartbreaking time of my life. I really feel like my whole life has taken a 360.”

But she said she was confident her daughters would “overcome all the obstacles,” and with the right help, “they will fight through this.”

She said she wanted to share the diagnosis to help other children get diagnosed sooner.

After re-sharing Nelson’s story, partner Foster posted a smiling photo of the twins and captioned it: “Still smiling despite all the challenges. Daddy loves you so much.”

Nelson, 34, gave birth to her twins prematurely at 31 weeks, after previously revealing she suffered rare complications during her pregnancy.

In an October Instagram post, she said she had “never felt proud” of her body after the birth of her daughters, adding that becoming a mother had made her “realise how incredible my body really is.”

Nelson left Little Mix in December 2020 and has since released music as a solo artist, including the single Boys, featuring Nicki Minaj, in 2021.

SMA is a progressive muscle-wasting disease that can lead to death within two years if not treated.

In 2021, the life-changing gene therapy drug Zolgensma was approved by the NHS to treat babies with SMA.

According to SMA UK, the drug delivers a healthy copy of the affected gene into the body, but timing is critical because irreversible damage to the nervous system may already have occurred.

Currently, screening for SMA is performed only on people who have a sibling with the disease.

SMA UK wants the disease to be added to the blood spot test, which already screens for 10 rare but serious conditions in newborns.

According to the charity, an estimated 47 babies in the UK will be born with the condition in 2024, although around one in 40 have the altered gene that can cause the disease.