ITV I’m A Celebrity suffers blow as Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson ‘withdraws from show to care for ill daughters’

However, her daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, both diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) type 1, are currently unwell, making it impossible for the star to travel abroad.

Sources say Ms Nelson made the decision with a “heavy heart,” having viewed the show as an opportunity to further her campaigning work around SMA awareness.

An insider told The Sun: “Jesy was so excited about joining I’m A Celebrity, mainly because it was giving her a platform to continue her campaigning for SMA.”

The source added: “She has already helped change Government policy over testing newborns for the condition.

“I’m A Celeb was going to be where she could spread her message even further, and show a side to her the public may not have seen before.”

Ms Nelson had reportedly devoted several weeks to negotiating her appearance before informing ITV executives last month that she could not commit.

“Ocean and Story are unwell and there is no way Jesy would leave them. Her family are her priority,” the source continued.

A separate programme insider claimed producers were “gutted” that Ms Nelson could not participate in this year’s series.

Ms Nelson’s daughters were born prematurely in May 2025, making them 17 months old. She shares the girls with her former partner, musician Zion Foster.

Both children were diagnosed with SMA type 1, a rare genetic condition that strikes infants under six months of age. It attacks the nerve cells that control muscle movement, causing progressive weakness that can affect breathing and swallowing.

When Ms Nelson first disclosed the diagnosis publicly in January, she revealed that doctors had told her the twins would likely never walk or develop neck strength.

The condition affects roughly 60 to 70 babies born in England annually. Treatment is most effective when administered before symptoms emerge, making early detection critical.

In August, Ms Nelson shared that both girls had undergone surgery to have their nasogastric feeding tubes removed.

Ms Nelson has emerged as one of the most prominent advocates for early SMA detection in the UK and spearheaded a petition that garnered 150,000 signatures to press the Government to accelerate the introduction of routine newborn screening for the condition.

Her efforts contributed to a shift in Government policy, with a pilot scheme now underway to test more than 400,000 babies through the standard heel-prick blood test. The programme, which began rolling out this month, aims to expand nationwide within a year.

Ms Nelson has argued that earlier identification of SMA could enable families to access treatment before irreversible nerve damage takes hold.

ITV has reportedly been fully supportive of Ms Nelson’s decision, with sources indicating the broadcaster will keep the opportunity open for a future series. She would have been the first member of Little Mix to enter the jungle.

Ms Nelson rose to fame after winning The X Factor in 2011 alongside Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall, before departing the group in December 2020.

She has since split from Mr Foster, to whom she had been briefly engaged, and debuted her new relationship with boyfriend Ben Davies at the National Television Awards last month.

Other celebrities rumoured for this year’s series include Wayne Rooney, Gavin & Stacey actress Joanna Page, cricketer Ben Stokes and Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson.

GB News has contacted ITV and Ms Nelson’s representatives for comment on the reports.