Jesy Nelson’s ex-fiancé Zion Foster has broken his silence after facing criticism over comments he made about their twin daughters’ devastating medical diagnosis.
The singer shared a series of emotional posts on Instagram, insisting that claims he had abandoned his responsibilities as a father were ‘simply not true’.
His statement comes after, in Amazon Prime Video documentary Jesy Nelson: Life Changing, Zion admitted he felt ‘out of my depth’ after learning daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe had been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the most severe form of the rare genetic condition.
The remark sparked debate online after it leaked ahead of the doc’s release, with some interpreting it as him stepping back from parenthood. Now, Zion has said that was never what he meant.
‘I’ve stayed quiet because my focus has always been where it should be – on my children,’ he wrote on Instagram Stories.
’Reading some of the comments over the last few days has been incredibly painful because they simply aren’t true.
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’When I said I was “out of my depth”, I wasn’t saying I was walking away from my children or abandoning my responsibilities as a father. I was talking about the overwhelming reality of suddenly facing a rare and complex medical diagnosis that I knew nothing about.
‘I was being honest. I didn’t have the knowledge. I didn’t have the experience. I was scared.’
The 26-year-old explained that admitting he felt overwhelmed was about learning to cope with a situation no parent expects to face.
’Being out of my depth meant I was learning. It meant I was trying to understand. It never meant I didn’t love my daughters or that I wasn’t going to be there for them.
‘I love my girls more than words could ever express. They are my world and always will be.’
In a second statement, Zion also addressed his split from Jesy, making it clear that the end of their relationship had not changed his commitment to their daughters.
‘The end of a relationship does not mean the end of fatherhood,’ he wrote.
’Jesy made the decision to end our relationship, and although I respect that, it does not change the fact that I remain committed to my daughters in every way I possibly can.
‘I attend every appointment. I educate myself every single day about their condition. I ask questions. I listen. I learn. I support them however I can because being their father is the greatest responsibility and privilege of my life.’
He went on to say the family’s journey had been ‘heartbreaking’ for everyone involved and said he shares Jesy’s pain because ‘these are our children’.
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
’Please don’t mistake vulnerability for abandonment. They’re not the same thing.
‘Asking for help or admitting you don’t have all the answers doesn’t make someone a bad father. It makes them human.’
Zion concluded by saying that those closest to him know the truth and that, one day, his daughters would too.
‘Most importantly, one day my daughters will know that I never stopped loving them, never stopped fighting for them and never stopped being their dad.’
The posts come as viewers prepare to watch the documentary, which charts Jesy’s high-risk pregnancy, the twins’ diagnosis, and the strain it placed on the couple’s relationship.
In the series, Jesy tearfully admitted she believed the trauma had ultimately ended their romance.
‘You’ll either be a team or it’ll tear you apart and unfortunately I feel that’s what it’s done to me and Zion,’ she said.
The former Little Mix star explained they ‘still get on’ and insisted there was ‘no bad feeling’, but said they coped with their daughters’ diagnosis in very different ways.
Jesy and Zion first got together in 2022 after years of friendship before announcing in January 2025 that they were expecting identical twins.
During the pregnancy, Jesy underwent emergency surgery after the babies were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, with Ocean Jade and Story Monroe eventually arriving prematurely in May.
The latest documentary follows the family as they navigate the girls’ subsequent diagnosis with SMA Type 1 and the challenges that came with it, both as parents and as a couple.