Jessie Nelson: Former Little Mix star says her twin daughters will never walk.

The former Little Mix star revealed that the girls were diagnosed with a rare genetic condition.

Jesy Nelson says her twins may 'never walk'

Former Little Mix star Jessie Nelson has revealed her twin daughters have been diagnosed with a rare genetic condition which means they will "probably never go away".

The singer prematurely gave birth to Nelson Foster last May, as well as Zion Foster, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe.

Nelson said in an Instagram video on Sunday that the girls suffer from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which she described as "the most severe muscle disease."

"It affects every muscle in the body: legs, arms, breathing, to swallowing," he said.

She explained in the video that her daughters were not moving their legs as much as they should and were struggling to feed properly.

"After the three, four most moving months and the endless dating, the women have now been diagnosed with severe muscle disease called SMA type 1," he said.

"Basically, what it does is, over time, it kills the muscles in the body. If it's not treated in time, your child's life expectancy will not exceed two years."

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

There, she said, she was told her daughters "probably will never be able to walk. They'll probably never get their neck strength back, so they'll be disabled."

He added that they have since been treated, for which he is "very grateful".

"Because if you don't get it, you die."

Nelson stated that since her diagnosis, she has had to act as a nurse and connect her daughter to "breathing machines".

"The reason I want to make this video is because the last three months have honestly been the most heartbreaking time of my life. I literally feel like my whole life has done a 360-degree turn."

But she said she was confident her daughters would "defy all odds" and with the right support "will pull through".

She added that she wanted to share the diagnosis to help other children. Diagnosis as soon as possible.

After resharing Nelson's story, Foster's pal posted a smiling photo of the twins with the caption: "Still smiling through all the challenges. Daddy loves you so much."

Nelson, 34, gave birth to her twins prematurely at 31 weeks, having previously said she suffered rare pregnancy complications.

In October, she revealed on Instagram that she has "never been prouder" of her body since the birth of her daughters, adding that motherhood has given her a "really amazing understanding of my body."

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

SMA is a progressive muscle wasting disease that can lead to death within two years if left untreated.

In 2021, a life-changing gene therapy drug called Zolgensma was approved by the NHS to treat children with the disease.

SMA UK says the drug delivers a healthy copy of the affected gene into the body, but timing is critical as irreversible damage has already been done to the nervous system.

Currently, SMA is only screened for people who have a sibling with the disease.

SMA UK wants the disease added to a blood test that already checks newborns for 10 rare but serious conditions.

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