Jesy Nelson has confirmed her new romance is heating up after she was spotted sharing a kiss with boyfriend Ben Davies during their first public outing together. The former Little Mix star, 35, looked smitten as she stepped out hand-in-hand with the landscape gardener in London, just weeks after speculation began swirling that she had found love again following her split from musician Zion Foster.
First Public Outing in Covent Garden
Jesy and Ben appeared completely at ease together as they wandered through Covent Garden, with the pair stopping to share an intimate moment outside a pancake shop. The singer opted for leisurewear for the outing, pairing a black bralet with high-waisted cycling shorts. Heavily tattooed Ben was similarly casual in a white T-shirt, cap and sunglasses as he held hands with Jesy while they made their way through the capital.
The loved-up appearance comes after reports earlier this month identified the man as Essex landscape gardener Ben Davies, who previously dated TOWIE original Lydia Bright. Their relationship became public in 2024 after they were spotted together at a gig by Lydia’s ex James Argent, and the pair went on to share several loved-up pictures during their romance. However, Lydia confirmed by early 2025 that she was single again.
New Chapter After Difficult Period
Jesy’s blossoming relationship with Ben marks a new chapter after an extraordinarily difficult period in her personal life. She split from musician Zion after the pair welcomed twin daughters Ocean and Story and subsequently learned that both girls had Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1, a rare muscle-wasting condition. Jesy and Zion had become engaged only last September, when he proposed during a romantic beach moment at sunset, but their relationship later came to an end.
Their experience adjusting to parenthood and coming to terms with their daughters’ diagnosis was documented on Jesy’s Prime Video series, including the devastating moment they were given the news about Ocean and Story. Jesy previously explained that the enormous pressure they faced had taken its toll on their relationship. ‘I think it’s quite inevitable for things like this to happen to couples,’ she said. ‘You’ll either be a team or it’ll tear you apart.’
Commitment to Their Daughters
Despite the split, both have maintained that their priority remains their daughters. Zion later made clear that the end of his relationship with Jesy would not change his commitment to Ocean and Story. ‘The end of a relationship does not mean the end of fatherhood,’ he said in a statement. ‘Jesy made the decision to end our relationship and, while I respect that, it does not change the fact that I remain committed to my daughters in every way I possibly can.’
He also hit back at criticism after viewers of Jesy’s documentary took comments about feeling ‘out of my depth’ following the twins’ diagnosis as a suggestion he was walking away from his responsibilities. Zion insisted he had instead been describing the shock of suddenly having to understand a rare and complex condition, adding: ‘Please don’t mistake vulnerability for abandonment.’ He said his daughters ‘are my world and always will be.’
Campaigning for SMA Screening
Jesy, meanwhile, has thrown herself into campaigning on behalf of Ocean and Story and other babies affected by SMA. She has pushed for newborn babies in England to be routinely tested for the condition, with early diagnosis particularly important because treatment can be significantly more effective when started before symptoms progress. But amid a year dominated by hospital appointments, campaigning and adapting to life with her daughters’ condition, Jesy now appears to have found room for romance again. And after weeks of mystery arms and social media sleuthing, she and Ben certainly weren’t hiding their affection during their first photographed outing together.
