Jesy Nelson is feeling "proud" after a "major milestone" in her spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) campaigning was announced.

The former Little Mix singer is on a career break as she focuses on her 10-month-old twins Ocean and Story and to campaign for testing at birth for SMA1 (Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1), a severe form of the rare, progressive, non-reversible, muscle-weakening genetic condition which both of her daughters have.

It has now been announced that the NHS will start testing newborns in England for SMA, after Health Secretary Wes Streeting brought forward a pilot to test most newborns in England from January 2027 to October this year.

Jesy told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "This is massive. Now there are potentially 404,000 babies who will be screened over the next 12 months.

"I just wish this had been here for my babies and for all the SMA babies who never got tested.

"That's why I wanted to do this - I don't want anyone to have to go through this heartbreak."

But Jesy admitted it is "bittersweet", because some newborns in England won't be tested depending on where they live.

She added: "It's just bittersweet because we're not fully there yet. It's like literally a postcode lottery because it's not the whole of England.

"There'll be 163,000 babies that won't get screened - and that is a lot of babies. If you live in a certain part of the country you're not going to get tested.

"There are truly life changing treatments out there so no baby should be an experiment - showing what the difference is. This shouldn't even be a thing. All babies should be getting tested and all babies should be living."

She also wrote on Instagram: "I am so proud, as this is a major milestone for the SMA community."

SMA UK chief executive Giles Lomax - whose seven-year-old twins Finn and Zara have SMA - is "delighted" with the announcement.

He told the Mirror: "Following years of campaigning we are delighted to see the formal announcement that screening for SMA will start in six months' time in England.

"This milestone will change the lives of so many diagnosed through the heel prick test."