Former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson and boyfriend Zion Foster have weathered many storms during their short relationship.
After getting together in 2022, the couple have reportedly split several times, announced their engagement, and welcomed two bundles of joy last year.
The 34-year-old former pop icon gave birth to twin daughters prematurely in May after a turbulent time during pregnancy, having spent most of it hospitalised.
Last week, Jesy shared a health update on the girls, named Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster, saying they have been diagnosed with a muscular disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
Describing the condition as the ‘most severe muscular disease’, through tears, she said that the youngsters ‘may never walk.’
A few hours later, Zion shared a photo of the twins in a stroller with tubes in their noses, writing: ‘Still smiling through all the challenges. Daddy loves you so much.’
What does Zion Foster do?
Zion and Jesy have plenty in common, as they’re both musical artists who got their starts in unconventional ways.
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While Jesy rose to stardom thanks to The X Factor, Zion grew a sizeable fanbase on SoundCloud as an artist and producer.
In 2015, he earned 250,000 streams with his song Get This Girl, which helped to launch his career. He now has a respectable 429,000 listeners on Spotify on tracks such as Letter to a Broken Heart, Full Effect, Diamonds, and Dangerous.
In 2024, Jesy and Zion released the R&B track Mine, following the Little Mix icon’s exit from Polydor Records.
When did Jesy Nelson and Zion Foster begin dating?
Jesy and Zion first got together in late 2022 after Jesy ended things with ex Harry James, and have seemingly always found their way back to each other since.
They reportedly met through friends years prior, before confirming their relationship in 2022.
Despite briefly splitting, the couple announced their engagement in September last year, sharing a romantic sunset snap on a beach.
Jesy captioned the post: ‘Just got engaged to my best friend.’
They have publicly expressed their love for each other on several occasions, with Jesy heaping praise on her partner for his support of her during a difficult pregnancy.
Supporting him running the London Marathon last year, she wrote on Instagram: ‘I honestly didn’t think I could love you any more than I already do @zionfoster but you have made me and our babies the proudest!!!! You had under 4 weeks to train for the London marathon and you have worked your absolute bum off to be able to cross that finish line today whilst raising money for an amazing cause @twinstrust and for our babies.
‘Words will never be enough to let you know how proud I am of you. The most amazing human and daddy we love you baby. You smashed the London Marathon!!!!’
Why and when did Jesy and Zion break up?
After reports in August 2023 made it seem as if Zion and Jesy had called it quits for good, they eventually got back together in 2024.
A source claimed to the Sun back when the rumours first started that it was over between the couple, claiming it was ‘hard to make sense of it’ because ‘they appeared to be so loved up.’
Symptoms of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
The symptoms of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) affect everyone differently, but can include:
- Twitching or shaking muscles (tremors)
- Bone and joint problems – such as an unusually curved spine (scoliosis)
- Muscle weakness – such as floppy or weak arms and legs
- Movement problems – such as difficulty sitting up, crawling or walking
- Problems with breathing or swallowing
At the time, there was no sign of Jesy on Zion’s Instagram page, and they no longer followed each other on social media.
This soon changed, and it was clear they were back together in early 2024.
Then, in September of 2024, they both once again wiped all traces of each other from their social media accounts.
On a video on OK!’s official TikTok that speculated about the romance, Zion confirmed the split by commenting: ‘Beautiful woman inside and out. I wish her nothing but the best.’
A source told The Sun at the time: ‘Jesy and Zion split last month and have completely cut ties with each other. It’s not the first time they have broken up but friends think it’s for good this time.
‘It’s slightly awkward though because they had an EP ready of music they have made together and Jesy doesn’t want it released now.’
Another source told The Mirror that their age difference was at the heart of the conflict.
They said: ‘Jesy is in a different headspace from Zion these days. She is after all a few years older than Zion and has a different way of looking at things these days. They had a great trip abroad, but since they got back, Jesy has realized it’s time to move on.’
When did Jesy and Zion welcome twins Ocean and Story?
Jesy and Zion shocked fans when they announced they were expecting not one, but two babies in January 2025.
Announcing the news on Instagram, Jesy showed off her blossoming bump to her 9.7million followers, earning an outpouring of congratulations.
‘She’s eating for 3 now 👶👶’, Jesy wrote in the caption, seemingly confirming she’s pregnant with twins.
Zion beamed while placing a protective hand on her stomach in the photo.
In March 2025, Jesy and Zion tearfully announced that their twins ‘could die’ as a result of twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).
The singer underwent emergency surgery shortly after as a result of the condition, which was a success, with Jesy updating fans that the TTTS had ‘cleared up.’
She remained in the hospital for monitoring for the duration of her pregnancy, welcoming the twins at 31 weeks in May.
‘So… Our beautiful baby girls decided to come at 31 weeks plus 5 days,’ Jesy wrote on Instagram, sharing an adorable snap cuddling the newborns.
‘It all happened so quickly, but we are so blessed that they are here with us, healthy and fighting strong! We’ve never felt more in love. Everybody meet Ocean Jade Nelson-Foster and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster.’
She later reflected on her difficult pregnancy and the time the twins spent in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), expressing the fear she felt being separated from her babies.
’Nothing or no one will ever be able to prepare you as a parent for NICU,’ the Black Magic singer began.
‘It’s the most scary overwhelming feeling of emotions not being able to feel like you can protect your babies.
‘Naturally as a mother you just want to hold them and comfort them when they cry but you can’t because there are what feels like a million wires coming out of them and tubes and masks in the way with people poking and prodding them it breaks your heart into a million pieces.’
She continued: ‘But slowly as the days go by and they get stronger and wires start to come away, moments like this feel like a dream.
‘Having them reunited for the first time ever today was the most magical feeling I will never be able to describe 🥹 the strongest little girls I’ve ever known who really do have the most inspiring story to tell 🤍’
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