Chris Hughes brands ex Jesy Nelson an ‘amazing human’ as he continues to support the singer after her baby twin daughters’ devastating diagnosis

Chris Hughes has branded ex girlfriend Jesy Nelson an ‘amazing human’ as he continues to show his support to her after she shared a heartbreaking update on her twin daughters’ muscle disease. 

On Sunday the former Little Mix star, 34, explained that after ‘the most gruelling three or four months’ her daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, who she shares with fiancé Zion Foster, have been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA1).

‘Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic condition that can cause muscle weakness. It gets worse over time, but there are medicines and other treatments to help manage the symptoms,’ according to the NHS website.

Jesy broke down in tears on This Morning as she admitted that her home now ‘looks like a hospital’ after learning how to look after her twins and cater to their complex needs as she shared the most difficult aspects of the diagnosis.

And Love Island star Chris, 33, who dated Jesy from late 2018 until their split in April 2020, has re-shared a clip of Jesy’s interview with ITV hosts Cat Deeley, 49, and Ben Shephard, 51, on Instagram on Wednesday evening. 

He penned: ‘Heartbreaking, what an amazing human [sad emoji, red heart emoji]’

This isn’t the first time Chris has reached out to the singer as he joined a chorus of celebrities in commenting on her video on Sunday, writing: ‘A warrior Jess. Be easy on yourself. Sending prayers to you all, everyone behind you guys.’

A slew of followers praised ‘lovely person’ Chris for reaching out to his ex in her time of strife, while his girlfriend Jojo also shared a message of support. 

Elsewhere in the interview, Jesy got very emotional about her girls: ‘We’ve been told that they will probably never walk, they’ll probably never regain their neck strength. They are gonna be in wheelchairs.

‘There’s been so many stories where parents have been told this and then their children have gone on to do incredible things, so I believe that you’ve just got to manifest that. 

‘They are still smiling, they’re still happy. They have each other, and that’s like the main thing that I’m like so grateful for because they could be doing this by themselves, but they’re twins and they’re going through this together.

‘My whole life has just completely changed. If you came to my house, it looks like a hospital. 

‘My whole hallway is filled up with medical stuff and it’s just crazy how you can go from one extreme to the next.

‘Story has to be on a breathing machine at night because she isn’t strong enough to breathe by herself at night, they have to have cough assists machines to help them cough, I have to put feeding tubes down their nose to like get out secretions off their chest. 

‘I’ve had to learn this within the space of a few days of getting their diagnosis, and it’s just so much to deal with while you’re also trying to deal with this like horrendous thing that’s just happened and still be a mum as well. 

‘That’s the part that I really, I’m still struggling with it, I won’t lie, but that is the part that like really gets me, is I just want to be their mum, I don’t want to be a nurse.  

‘All I can do is just try my best to be there for them. Give them positive energy.’

Looking back over the signs that the two girls had been battling the condition before their diagnosis, she added: ‘I actually knew and saw all of the signs before I even know knew what SMA was.

‘But when I left the NICU, it was hammered home to me, “Don’t compare your baby, they’re not going to reach the same milestones, take them as they are” because they were premature. 

‘When I took them home from NICU, the only thing I was really concerned about at that time was like checking their temperature, making sure they’re still breathing. I’m not checking to see if their legs are still moving…  

‘And that’s what’s frustrating knowing that for me, if this was the cards I was always going to get dealt and there was nothing I could do about it, then it’s almost easier for me to accept.’

Heaping praise on her mum for spotting the signs that eventually prompted her to take further action, she said: ‘It took for my mum to be like, “They don’t move their legs how they should be moving”.

‘Bless my mum, she’s a worrier, and I just thought my mum was being a worrier – but I noticed they were moving [their legs] less and less and less, until it just stops.

‘That is why it’s so important and vital to get treatment from birth and that it’s detected from birth.’ 

Opening up on her decision to share her story with the world, Jesy continued: ‘I wanted it to get as much reach as possible to raise awareness about it, it’s what I wanted to do. 

‘If I’d seen someone else’s video, maybe, just maybe I could have prevented this from happening if I’d have seen a video and caught it early enough. 

‘Yes, I could have dealt with it privately, but at the same time I’m like, I have this platform and I almost feel like I’ve got a duty of care to like raise awareness about it.

‘I don’t know if this is even crazy to say this, like it feels selfish to keep this to myself and not potentially save a child’s life. I’m going to shout to the rooftops about this.

‘I could have saved their legs… I don’t think I’m ever going to get over this or accept it, but I’m going to try my best to make change.’ 

On Tuesday Jesy shared an update with fans and revealed she is fighting for SMA1 screening at birth after her twin daughters could have avoided severe muscular disease with early treatment.

The genetic neuromuscular disease causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting due to motor neuron loss.

Jesy was tearful as she explained that the condition ‘affects every muscle in the body down to legs, arms, breathing and swallowing’, adding that ‘essentially what it does over time is it kills the muscles in the body’.

Now, the singer has shares an update from hospital as she revealed that she has put a petition in to try and get newborn babies screened from birth for SMA and is ‘determined and ready to fight’ to see it approved. 

If SMA1 is treated pre-symptomatically (at or near birth), the disease can be largely prevented, and many children develop with minimal or no symptoms.

Opening up in a new Instagram video filmed in a hospital, Jesy said: ‘Hey guys I just wanted to come on here to basically say thank you genuinely so much from the bottom of my heart for the outpour of support and beautiful messages for me and other families dealing with this horrible diagnosis. 

‘I am genuinely so overwhelmed from the level of support and I just want to say thank you for sharing, learning about it, took the time to watch it and send their beautiful messages, thank you I appreciate it so much. 

‘I also wanted to let you guys know, I am starting a petition to try and get the newborn screening heel prick testing from birth and I just need you to know that I am so determined to make this happen and I am going to fight as much as I can to make this part of the newborn screening. 

‘It’s currently under review so I will keep you updated and also I will be on This Morning tomorrow talking about my baby girls. I love you all so much and I can’t thank you enough for the support. We have along way to go but I love you so much.’

On Sunday, Jesy said that doctors initially dismissed her fears about her baby twins not hitting milestones because they were born prematurely.

In her emotional video posted to Instagram she explained that her mum had first noticed that the twins’ legs weren’t as mobile as maybe they should be.

Jesy then took them to the doctors to get things looked at and routine health visitors had also checked them over.

She explained: ‘A few months ago my mum noticed that the girls were not showing as much movement in their legs as they should be.

‘It wasn’t really a concern to me at the time because from the minute I left NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), I was told “Your babies are premature, so do not compare your babies to other babies. They won’t reach the same milestones, take them as they are and they will get where they need to be when they do”.’

Health visitors also offered reassurance when Jesy and her partner Zion also grew concerned about their feeding.

However, they were told the babies were ‘great and healthy’ and there wasn’t anything to worry about.

After later undergoing further tests, they were given the SMA Type 1 diagnosis.

Choking back tears the singer said in her video: ‘If it’s not treated in time your baby’s life expectancy will not make it past the age of two.’

She went on to explain that Great Ormond Street have advised that the girls ‘are probably never going to be able to walk or regain their neck strength so they will be disabled’.

She added: ‘The best thing we can do right now is get them treatment and hope for the best.’

Jesy welcomed her twin daughters with partner Zion on May 15, 2025.

She spent much of her difficult pregnancy in hospital before the girls were delivered at 31 weeks which was followed by a stay in the NICU.

‘After the most gruelling three, four months and endless appointments the girls have now been diagnosed with a severe muscular disease – SMA Type 1,’ she explained in her video.

‘Once the girls got treated, it was a very rapid process because time is of the essence with this disease’ Jesy said of the twins’ treatment plan from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, adding that there is no cure for SMA.

She said the girls have had their treatment over the past few weeks which ‘I am so grateful for because without it they will die.’

‘It has just been endless hospital appointments, I feel like the hospital has become my second home and I feel like I have had to become a nurse because I have to put them on breathing machines and do stuff that no mother should have to do with their child.’

Jesy broke down as she admitted: ‘The last few months have been the most heartbreaking time of my life. I literally feel like my whole life has done a 360. I almost feel like I am grieving a life I thought I was going to have with my children.

‘I truly believe my girls will defy all the odds with the right help and do things that have never been done.’

She ended her video by explaining she wanted to make the post to help others and raise awareness of early diagnosis in children and the signs to look for which include floppiness in babies, bell-shaped bellies and rapid breathing.

She also stressed the need for a heel prick test at birth ‘which can literally save their legs, and so many parts of their body.’

Ocean Jade and Story Monroe were born at just 31 weeks old, after Jesy was diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) – a rare condition that can put one or both babies at risk.

Before being released from hospital the twins had been receiving treatment in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Jesy recently opened up about their premature births, telling fans: ‘Nothing or no one will ever be able to prepare you as a parent for NICU.

In March 2025 during her pregnancy, Jesy had to undergo an emergency procedure after suffering complications and was advised to remain in hospital until she was at least 32 weeks into her pregnancy.

Throughout the ordeal, her partner Zion admitted he and Jesy, who was seven months pregnant at the time of her procedure, had ‘grown to understand each other on a deeper level’.

Jesy announced she was expecting twins with her boyfriend Zion back in January 2025 after rumours they had split.