Jesy Nelson 'drops out' of I'm a Celeb with 'heavy heart' for tragic personal reason
Jesy Nelson has reportedly pulled out of I’m a Celebrity to care for her twin girls, amid their battle with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) type 1.
The former Little Mix star was set to fly out to Australia next month to take part in the hit ITV show, where she would face off against insects, reptiles and vermin in gruelling Bushtucker trials.
However, the 35-year-old has now reportedly stepped back from the show with a “very heavy heart”.
A source told The Sun that the singer was excited to head into the jungle to spread awareness for SMA1, as well as “show a side to her the public may not have seen before”.
“Ocean and Story are unwell and there is no way Jesy would leave them. Her family are her priority.”
The source added that ITV have been “amazing” and that “the door will always be left open for Jesy” if she wishes to return.
In January, Nelson revealed that her twin girls Ocean and Story had been diagnosed with the rare condition which means they will unlikely be ever able to walk.
SMA1 is “a rare genetic condition that can cause muscle weakness” that “gets worse over time”, according to the NHS.
Nelson has become the face of a campaign for newborns to be tested for the condition, which affects just one in every 10,000 babies across the UK.
She set up a petition which gained over 150,000 signatures which urged the government to bring forward a pilot scheme for newborn screening, with a nationwide trial launched last month.
The singer previously described her children as the “strongest, most resilient babies”, and said she believes that they will “defy the odds”.
“Their muscles are now deteriorating and wasting away, and if you don't get them treatment in time, eventually the muscles will all just die, which then affects the breathing, the swallowing, everything. And they will die before the age of two,” she told Jamie Laing on the Great Company podcast.
“It's not okay, but it is what it is, and I just have to accept it, and now just try and make the best out of this situation.”
Filming for I’m A Celebrity begins next month, with Wayne Rooney, Joanna Page and Chloe Burrows being tipped as some of the names heading into the Australian jungle.
The Standard has reached out to ITV and representatives of Nelson for comment.