Jessica Wright says she felt like the world ‘ended’ and recalls not being able to move when she was told of her 2-year-old son Presley’s life-threatening heart condition.

Jessica Wright and her husband William Lee-Kemp felt like the stars had aligned when they became parents to their beautiful baby boy Presley in May 2022, with Jessica describing her newborn as “everything and more”. Sadly, their joy turned to heartache less than two years later when they discovered that Presley was suffering from a rare heart condition which will require him to undergo open heart surgery.

“The world just stopped moving for me,” says Jessica, recalling the devastating moment she was told Presley has a Bicuspid Aortic Valve, a congenital heart disease which affects one per cent of people. Sitting down for an exclusive interview with OK! – just days ahead of hosting her first Have A Heart Gala, to raise money for children’s cardiac and respiratory care charity The Brompton Fountain – it’s clear the last 12 months have taken their toll.

Jess and her husband William open up about the moment their world was turned upside down(Image: OK! Magazine / Karis Kennedy / Sasha Benjamin)

“It’s been tough,” she says, before talking us through Presley’s devastating diagnosis. “Just before his second birthday, we took him for a routine appointment about what we thought was a chest infection and the doctors said they had found a heart murmur. They said it was likely to be nothing to worry about, and common in a lot of children, but to get it checked anyway.”

Jessica continues that around a month later, in a follow up appointment, their worst fears were confirmed. “We just sat there and you could see from the doctor’s face that he was about to tell us something really big and life-changing.

“I just dreaded what was going to come out of his mouth, and then, lo and behold, the words ‘open heart surgery’ came out. It was extremely tough and something that we’re still taking our time to get over and used to – I’m not sure we ever will. I just remember sitting in between my mum and my husband and thinking, ‘I’m going to fall on the floor’. I couldn’t even kind of hold myself up.”

The thought of open heart surgery is every parent’s worst nightmare, and something Jessica, 39, admits is still tough for her to talk about. While the family have been told by doctors that the surgery – which will replace valves in Presley’s heart – will be necessary, Jessica says it’s a waiting game to find out when the operation will be.

Presley’s condition, a Bicuspid Aortic Valve, means that his aortic valve, which regulates blood flow, has only two leaflets instead of the three regular hearts have. Left untreated, it can lead to complications such as heart failure and infection.

The Wright family were out in force to support Presley and his parents(Image: OK! Magazine / Karis Kennedy / Sasha Benjamin)

“It’s a case of waiting until the point where we know that his heart valves need to be replaced,” says Jessica. “So, essentially, it can happen at any moment.

“We’ve been told that we’ll be lucky if he gets to the age of 10 without needing it, which was the biggest blow for us, because some people can get to their 50s and not have one until then. But with Presley, because of where his heart is at the minute, he has to have it sooner,” she says, with a heavy sigh.

This news means that the family are constantly on edge, something which Jessica says has caused her to panic at the first sign of illness in Presley, who turns three next month. “We have to hope and pray that the surgery is closer to 10 than his current age, because if it’s earlier, he has to have it replaced again a few years later. If it’s later, the replacement can last longer because they can put one in that’s big enough.” Jessica continues, “It’s always at the back of our minds and every fever he gets, every breath he takes wrong, whatever it might be, you panic. But it is what it is.”

Presley is currently having check-ups every 12 weeks, which sees him undergo scans and an ECG on his heart to ensure he doesn’t yet need the surgery. “We supply him with lollipops or a dairy-free cupcake during it,” laughs Jessica, as she discusses her attempts to distract Presley during the appointments.”

And while the family are now accustomed to regular medical appointments, she admits it’s still no easier. “He doesn’t love it, but it’s almost like he gets it now. We just brace ourselves every time we go and hope to God that our doctor says, ‘At the minute, we’re OK’. I wish I could take it away from him and for me to have it instead. But he’s a strong little boy.”

Jess admits she ‘wishes she could take it all away’ when it comes to Presley’s heath battles(Image: OK! Magazine / Karis Kennedy / Sasha Benjamin)

Echoing Jessica’s sentiments, William says, “The week before we go for the check up is when we start worrying, then after the check up, we can breathe again and it’s a relief that everything is OK. Then it’s like back to the beginning before the next appointment, so it’s a constant worry up and down.”

Jessica and business owner William, who tied the knot in a stunning ceremony in Majorca back in 2021, could never have imagined the challenging times that lay ahead when they became parents. But as we chat, the TV star praises William for his constant support.

“We are really supportive of each other. I definitely break down a lot more than Will, but I feel like that’s because women generally tend to be slightly more emotional. It’s been a huge blow to us both. To be honest, we can barely say the words out loud without… I don’t know. We don’t really like talking about it, but then sometimes I just feel like I have to and it’s like the elephant in the room. We’re still coming to terms with it,” she admits after a pause.

William, who Jessica describes as the ‘best daddy’ to Presley, confirms, “We really lean on each other and support each other, of course we do.”

Jessica lights up again when she talks about Presley, telling us he’s a complete “showman” – something which perhaps doesn’t come as a surprise given his famous family.

“He’s just the most incredible little boy and he’s got so much character,” beams Jessica. “He’s really, really funny, and he doesn’t stop doing funny little things. He’s a complete actor, he’s definitely gonna be on the stage, I think. If there’s music or a microphone, he’s up there grabbing it and putting on a show. Presley is a really sweet boy as well, very sensitive, very caring and just sweet.”

Clearly loving parenthood, would Jessica and William be open to having any more children? “Possibly. It’s been a tough road so far this time, but maybe, we’ll see,” she says.

Young Presley has a heart check-up every 12 weeks(Image: OK! Magazine / Karis Kennedy / Sasha Benjamin)

In the meantime, Presley has plenty of cousins to play with in Jessica’s tight-knit family. Jessica’s younger brother, Ebbsfleet United footballer Josh also has two sons; Josh. Jr and Dustin. While her brother Mark and his wife Michelle Keegan welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Palma, in March.

“Presley is so close to his cousins Josh and Dustin, and, obviously, now we’ve got Palma who is going to fit right in. She’s adorable! They all absolutely love spending time with each other and Palma is an angel. She’s adorable, beautiful and so sweet. The boys love her and are very gentle with her,” says Jessica, adding that she was “excited” to become an auntie again.

And has she been on hand to give Mark and Michelle parenthood advice? Assuring us he’s a natural, she says, “It’s lovely seeing [Mark and Michelle] as parents, I knew they would be incredible parents and they are. We’re always with each other anyway and we tell each other little bits, so there’s always room to help each other out when you have babies. It’s all such new territory.”

Considering how close Jessica is to her family, it’s no surprise that many of the Wright clan, including her parents Carol and ‘Big’ Mark and younger sister Natalya, joined her and William last Thursday night for Jessica’s Have A Heart gala.

And showing it’s not only been an emotional time for Jessica, but for the whole family, brother Mark got teary as he took to the stage to give a heartfelt speech. After watching a short film, featuring Presley, about the work The Brompton Fountain do, Mark was left understandably emotional.

“When it’s that close to home, it just…sorry, it just hurts,” said Mark as he struggled to get through the sentence. “Although I don’t tell her often, my sister is an extraordinary woman. I am biased, of course, but I think we can all agree that her and her husband Will’s strength, honesty and the love they show their son is nothing short of remarkable.

“And to my nephew, you’re the bravest little boy I know,” continued the new dad, turning his back on the stage to keep the emotions at bay, with the room – including wife Michelle – cheering him.

Celebs flocked to support the Have A Heart Gala(Image: OK! Magazine / Karis Kennedy / Sasha Benjamin)

Explaining the inspiration behind the event at The Savoy hotel in London, which saw famous faces including Gemma Collins, Pete Wicks and Vicky Pattison in attendance, Jessica says, “The minute that we found out about Presley’s heart condition, I wanted to do something to help the charity that supports the hospital that he’s at.”

She added: “The Brompton Fountain is a really, really small charity, so it just felt right for me to use my platform as much as I can and do everything I can. This kind of event is really impactful and it raises awareness, it’s something we want to do every year.”

Jessica has plenty of support behind her too, as Pete Wicks tells us during the gala that he couldn’t be more proud of his former co-star and friend. “What Jess is doing tonight is amazing and what she’s doing for this charity is amazing. We’ve been friends for over a decade now, which is a long time! But she’s one of the good ones, I always knew she’d be an amazing mum, even before she had Presley.”

Alongside Pete sat James Argent, who has been a longtime friend of the family and said he ‘wouldn’t miss’ the event for the world. While Britain’s Got Talent star Sydnie Christmas, who gave a stunning performance, said she was ‘honoured’ to be invited along by Jessica.

Amid all the glamour of the evening, exclusively covered by OK!, Jessica – who looked stunning in a white gown – delivered an emotional and heartfelt speech, something she admitted to feeling ‘nervous’ about beforehand.

Jess’s brother Mark spoke emotionally on the night(Image: OK! Magazine / Karis Kennedy / Sasha Benjamin)

“It’s a lot of pressure – I’ve never done something like this before apart from my wedding, and we actually had 100 fewer people at our wedding! It’s very personal to us and talking about something so personal to us is going to be really tough. But I want to get the message across and do the best I can for the evening.”

While undoubtedly difficult, Jessica spoke beautifully as she addressed the room and thanked the charity for their unwavering support – giving a special thanks to The Brompton Fountain’s Chief Executive, Trudy Nickels.

Despite it being a tough topic to talk about so openly, Jessica says her goal is to keep raising awareness of the condition and to the charities who can support families.

She admits that speaking publicly about Presley’s health has saved her mind from spiralling, explaining, “When we found out, I was almost desperate to talk about it on social media because I wanted to hear other people’s stories and I wanted to know how common this is and how we were going to get through it. But I needed to come to terms with it in my head before I did that because I knew it’d be very overwhelming.

“But then I did reach out – I think it was about 3 months after he was diagnosed – and the reaction I got was just crazy. I’ve had thousands and thousands of messages about it from warrior parents welcoming me to the heart community and sending me messages of support and hearing about children who have been through it at a lot younger age than Presley. It’s been amazing.

When I started realising it was something that does happen to other people it makes you feel like you’re not alone. It made me realise that, ultimately, please God, he will be OK.”