Jesy Nelson delighted fans last week when she announced she’s expecting twins with her musician boyfriend Zion Foster. Taking to Instagram, the pop star shared a snap of her growing bump and wrote, ‘She’s eating for three now,’ alongside two baby emojis.
And as she enters an exciting new chapter, insiders have revealed that Jesy is now hoping motherhood will bring her a fresh start, including the chance to heal the rift between her and her former Little Mix bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards.
‘Jesy wants to enter motherhood by turning a new page and building bridges with the Little Mix girls,’ a source tells heat. ‘There are definitely things Jesy regrets about the way she left the band, there was a lot of drama and hearsay flying around which made it feel like it was Jesy versus the rest of the girls.’
Little Mix – who originally formed on The X Factor in 2011 – were at the height of their fame when Jesy, 33, decided to leave in December 2020. Leigh-Anne later called the move ‘traumatic,’ admitting that the remaining members all attended therapy after her exit.
At the time, Jesy revealed she had been at her breaking point with online trolling, saying, ‘The truth is, recently, being in the band has really taken a toll on my mental health. I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard.’
Leigh-Anne, 33, Jade, 32, and Perrie, 31 – who’ve all pursued solo careers since announcing Little Mix’s hiatus in 2021 – no longer speak to Jesy and they don’t follow each other on social media. In 2023, Jesy said, ‘We haven’t talked since then. Never say never, but I honestly wish them the best on their solo journeys now, which is so exciting.’
She added, ‘I am rooting for all of them. I honestly do wish them all the success as they are all crazy talented.’
Now, our source says Jesy – who’s thought to have had two brief break-ups with Zion, 25, after getting together in January 2022 – believes her babies could help her bond with her old friends, especially as Leigh-Anne and Perrie are both mums. Leigh-Anne has twin girls, who she welcomed with her footballer husband Andre Gray in August 2021. Her babies were born just days before Perrie had her first child, son Axel, with her footballer fiancé Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
‘It’s crazy that she’s having twins just like Leigh-Anne did. Jesy has been wanting to reach out and ask her for tips and advice,’ the insider says. ‘She’s hoping that when she does, they can put any past band drama behind them and start afresh.
'She would love to one day have a play date with Leigh-Anne and her two little ones, as well as Perrie’s son. It has just made Jesy feel as though she could do with that sisterhood in her life again. She would be gutted if the girls weren’t interested, but she’s hoping her pregnancy news has softened their feelings.’
We’re told Jesy – who was dropped from her record label Polydor in 2022, a year after releasing her debut single Boyz with Nicki Minaj – is also keen to put the music industry behind her and instead focus entirely on her new role as a mother.
‘Jesy really wants to close the door on the past, particularly her music career, which she’s found really toxic,’ the source says. ‘Obviously, her solo career didn’t pan out the way she hoped, and got mixed up in so much drama as well as falling out with her bandmates. Jesy is so excited about this new chapter.’