Jesy Nelson has shared an emotional update on her twin daughters after they had their feeding tubes removed, admitting she finally feels as though she has “got their faces back”. The former Little Mix star revealed the milestone on Friday after Ocean and Story underwent surgery, sharing pictures of the girls sleeping peacefully without the tubes that had been a constant part of their lives.
A long-awaited moment
For Jesy, the procedure marked the return of something she had been missing for months: being able to see her daughters' faces clearly and cuddle them without worrying about their medical equipment. The singer had previously admitted she was “terrified” about the operation, but said she could not wait to see the twins' faces and their “little dimples” which had been hidden beneath the plasters securing their tubes.
Before the procedure, she wrote: “Today is the last day of my baby girls having [their] ng tubes on their faces.” She added: “I've honestly forgotten what it feels like to cuddle them and not worry about pulling their tube out [their] nose or plasters [off] their face.
“It really is the littlest things we take for granted as parents,” she continued.
From fear to joy
The following day, Jesy shared a video from hospital showing the girls ahead of their operation, calling them “the little girl's i've ever known”. Later, she posted photographs of Ocean and Story sleeping with their faces free from the tubes. “Feels like a dream,” she wrote, as she celebrated the sight she had been waiting for.
The twins' feeding tubes have been part of their care since they were diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1, a rare muscle-wasting condition. Jesy announced their diagnosis in September 2025, revealing that Ocean and Story, now 14 months old, had SMA Type 1 and were receiving treatment.
Understanding SMA Type 1
The condition affects motor neurons in the spinal cord, causing progressive muscle weakness and in its most severe form, SMA can affect a child's ability to sit, move, swallow and breathe. Nasogastric, or NG, tubes can be used to provide nutrition when muscle weakness makes swallowing difficult or unsafe, or when a baby is unable to consume enough food to grow.
For Jesy, the removal of the tubes comes after a period of campaigning as well as caring for her daughters. Last month, she celebrated the announcement that SMA Type 1 newborn screening is to be rolled out across the whole of the UK.
Campaigning for change
Jesy revealed she had spoken with health minister Sharon Hodgson and Health Secretary James Murray before being told the screening programme would be expanded. “It's an emotional day,” she said of the news. “I'm still taking it in to be honest.
“It's amazing. It's just mind-blowing,” she added, saying she felt “so proud” of everyone who had helped get the screening programme to that point. The singer explained the change meant that future SMA baby's lives "are gonna look completely different."
The Government has confirmed that the expanded screening programme will begin in October, with hundreds of thousands of babies expected to be screened. The test involves a simple heel prick shortly after birth, with early diagnosis allowing affected babies to receive treatment sooner.
