Reality TV star Jess Wright says she's 'lucky' after announcing son, Presley, aged two, has rare heart condition

The mum-of-one, took to her Instagram to tell her 1.5 million followers that her young son, Presley, who she shares with husband William Lee-Kemp, will need open heart surgery “at least twice” in the future.

The former The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) TV personality first revealed the tot’s health update by sharing a lengthy Instagram post yesterday (Monday August 26). In it, she said Presley has "a congenital heart disease called Bicuspid Aortic Valve" and she is coming "to terms with the fact that our son will need intervention at least twice in his life".

Later in the evening, 38-year-old Wright, who is the sister of fellow TOWIE alumni Mark Wright, to shared a further update on her Instagram Stories. She posted a black and white photo of herself and her husband cuddling their little boy. Alongside it, she wrote: "Overwhelmed at the support Will & I thank you all. The news I heard a few months ago really did hit me harder than I ever knew possible so far in life in terms of shock & fear.

"I had so many questions & life is a very different place now. However, my god are we lucky. Lucky we caught it, lucky we have such amazing professionals to help us & lucky Presley is ok. We thank our blessings every day because of course he is healthy & so lucky right now. She concluded with a message of support for other parents and carers in similar situations: "My heart goes out to parents with children that have any health problems. When you give birth you cannot prepare for the amount of love you have for that child. I will do everything I can to make it all ok. have to."

The star’s original post read: “A few months ago we learned that our son Presley has a congenital heart disease called ‘Bicuspid Aortic Valve’. Something he was born with & happens to a small 1% of us. Essentially, instead of having three leaflets in his aortic valve, like most, he only has two. This condition affects how blood flows from the heart to the rest of the body and will require monitoring & care over time.

"I won’t go into the full details right now, but whilst this is please God not a fatal disease, we are coming to terms with the fact that our son will need intervention at least twice in his life. By intervention I mean open heart surgery. Saying those words out loud physically hurts my soul, hence why for a few months we have been coping with this news & trying to navigate it. We have been, & will be monitoring Presley's heart closely with doctors every 8-12 weeks, hoping & praying every time we go, that we get the results we need. Ultimately, he will then have intervention when necessary, but the older he can be for that, the better."

She continued: "We know that Presley is strong and resilient. With the help of modern day medicine, Presley will live as normal life as the next child, we hope & pray. I also know that this platform will help me share & get information, express my feelings, find answers to questions, & provide much-needed support and knowledge to others in need. I would love to hear from any other parents who are navigating this unknown & very scary territory, as knowledge is power & it is a comfort to know that we are not alone.

"We are so grateful for the love and support from our family, friends, and this amazing community. Thank you for your positive thoughts, prayers, & for helping us raise awareness about heart health. I will be chatting to the Brompton Fountain children’s charity too, & hopefully helping as best I can in their fundraising, along the way."

Wright’s post was met with lots of kind comments from her fans, as well as her celebrity friends and family. Actress Michelle Keegan, who is married to her brother Mark and is Presley’s auntie, simply posted a love heart emoji. One fan said: “Lots of healing prayers for Presley and I pray to that you have strength.” Another said: “I’m sending so much love to you all & strength to beautiful Presley.”

Wright and Lee-Kemp, an entrepreneur, started dating in 2018 and became engaged in March 2020. They married a year later and then welcomed Presley in to the world in May 2022. Wright’s admission about her son’s health comes around nine months after she first hinted something wasn’t quite right with her baby son, as she said she had to rush him to hospital for a “persistent” health issue.

At the time, in November, she wrote: "Day 46066 in the poorly household. Ended up going to A&E last night because his cough wouldn't let up and he already had a steroid three days prior. He's now on antibiotics. The 4.20am wake ups aren't getting easier." Wright has also spoken candidly about suffering postnatal depression, calling the experience “scary”.

On Giovanna Fletcher's podcast “Happy mum Happy Baby”, she said the conditon was “debilitating” and not just the “baby blues”. She said: "Because I thought when they said that it was just like 'Oh you might feel down for a couple of days because it's called the baby blues.' I'm like, 'You're just totally disguising post-natal depression, which is debilitating'," she admitted.

She continued: "I had that for a month, and then all of a sudden it just lifted. . . It's more scary because A, I didn't know how long it was going to last. . . Some women suffer for like six months and some more. . . And B, I just couldn't enjoy anything with him." She also offered advice to other mums who may be feeling the same as she was, advising them “tell someone how you're feeling” as they will understand and not “judge you”. She added: "They're always going to be there for you if they love you. And there are so many others who are suffering."