Jesy Nelson has 'never felt prouder' of her body after birth of twins

Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson says she has "never felt prouder" of her body following the birth of her twin daughters.

The singer welcomed twins Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster in May with musician Zion Foster, who she got engaged to last month.

Nelson said in an Instagram post that becoming a mother made her "realise how incredible my body actually is".

Alongside images of herself in her underwear holding her daughters, she wrote: "33 years of extreme diets, 33 years of putting myself down wishing my belly was flatter, wanting my waist just a little smaller and almost going through with a boob job, to now standing here having this photo taken."

She continued: "I can honestly say I've never felt prouder of my body and what it has been through! Yes my boobs hang lower and my belly is bigger and squishier - it doesn't look how it used to, but my god it created the best gift that has ever happened to me.

"If there's anything I've learned over the past nine months of being pregnant, it's that I never want my girls to feel the way I did about my body for so many years.

"So to all the future mummies or the mummies that have just given birth, if you're struggling with how you are feeling in yourself or are maybe even feeling the pressure to "snap back" just take a moment to remember what YOU did! Be kinder to yourself and remember you are INCREDIBLE!!!"

Nelson, 34, gave birth to her twins prematurely at 31 weeks, having previously revealed she had experienced rare complications during the pregnancy.

In March, she said she had undergone a "successful" operation to prevent complications related to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).

The condition is caused by abnormal connecting blood vessels in the twins' placenta which leads to an imbalanced blood flow from one twin, known as the donor, to the recipient twin, leaving one baby with a greater blood volume than the other.

Shortly after the surgery in March, Nelson said: "The TTTS has cleared up, the operation was a success, which is just absolutely incredible. We are so, so lucky to have the most amazing doctors."

She also revealed her twins were monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA), meaning they share a single placenta but have their own separated amniotic sacs.

Nelson left Little Mix in December 2020, saying she needed to protect her mental health.

She later explained that online abuse - an issue she explored in a 2019 BBC Three documentary - had left her at "breaking point".

Since leaving the band, Nelson has released music as a solo artist, including the single, Boyz, featuring Nicki Minaj, in 2021.

Little Mix, also featuring Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall, formed on the X Factor in 2011.

The group went to record multiple UK top 10 albums and five number one singles, with hits such as Wings, Black Magic and Shout Out to My Ex.

In 2021, they announced they would be taking a break after their 2022 tour but insisted they were not splitting up permanently.