Perrie Edwards says she was ‘broken’ by news of Jesy Nelson’s twins’ illness
"We’ll always have that weird connection. And seeing Jesy go through that, it broke me," said Edwards
By Aaron Sugg
Perrie Edwards shared that she was “broken” after hearing that her Little Mix bandmate Jesy Nelson’s twins had been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy.
Nelson left Little Mix in 2020 following years of public scrutiny. The remaining members, Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, announced they were taking a hiatus in 2022.
Ever since the band went on to pursue their solo careers, fans have speculated a rift between Nelson and the rest of the girl group.
“I still feel everything that the girls feel” – Perrie Edwards on Little Mix after their hiatus
Appearing on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast, Perrie said she still feels a connection to all her former bandmates and was deeply affected by Nelson’s struggles after childbirth.
“I mean, when I think everything we’ve been through as a group, and even though it ended in ways that I wouldn’t have wanted it to, and we’re not that close anymore and we’re not in each other’s lives, I still feel everything that the girls feel and I think they’re the same,” said Perrie.
“We’ll always have that weird connection. And seeing Jesy go through that, it broke me.”
What happened to Jesy Nelson’s twins?
Nelson and her fiancé Zion Foster welcomed identical twin daughters, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, on 15 May 2025.
The babies arrived prematurely at 31 weeks after a complicated pregnancy involving twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
In early 2026, the twins were diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1, a rare and severe progressive muscle-wasting disease, an experience Nelson has spoken about openly in several interviews.
“I don’t want to see her go through that” – Edwards on Nelson’s complicated pregnancy
“You wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” Perrie exclaimed. “It’s literally wild. And as much as we’ve got our issues and, you know, I don’t want to see her go through that.”
“I don’t want to see her hurt and I don’t want to see any of that. It’s heartbreaking,” said Edwards.
Nelson shared her experience of leaving Little Mix in her documentary Life After Little Mix. Following her departure from the band, she said the atmosphere was frosty.
What did Nelson say about the Little Mix split?
“That made me feel really alone. I felt like there was no point. That no one cared,” said Nelson.
Edwards also discussed whether she could repair her friendship with Jesy in future: “If I’m being completely transparent, part of me wanted to until the documentary. And then part of me withdrew again.”
“There’s personal things, there’s public things, there’s everything. I don’t have the capacity for somebody like that in my life anymore. And that might make me sound like a bitch, but I just don’t have the energy for it.”
Speaking previously to Attitude, Edwards revealed her plans for Little Mix to return as a trio. When asked whether the reunion would be as a four, she said: “A three. Definitely a three.”