31 January 2024 , 14:19
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Gregg Wallace has opened up about the heartbreaking reality of raising his autistic and non-verbal young son.
The MasterChef star, 59, and his wife Annie-Marie Sterpini, 37, are doing all they can to educate themselves about their son Sid, four, following him being diagnosed with autism in 2022. Gregg has previously shared details of Sid's diagnosis in a bid to help other parents raising an autistic child, with the culinary star explaining last year how his four-year-old son was still using nappies and enjoyed a limited diet of food due to his autism.
Speaking in a new interview, Gregg admitted he finds himself "troubled" by the fact his son is unable to express his emotions and communicate his feelings at times, but both he and Annie-Marie remain "optimistic" about their son's future and are doing everything possible to understand their son's world.
Gregg Wallace and his wife suspected their son had autism from a young age (Getty Images)
Sid was diagnosed last year, at the age of three (Gregg Wallace/Instagram)"There's lots of eye contact and smiles, and a cuddle is Sid's default position," the proud dad explained, before going on to discuss some tougher aspects of parenting Sid. He told The Sun: "When he's unhappy, he can't tell us. If he's scared or unwell, he can't tell us. That's quite nerve-racking for a parent."
In July, Gregg told his fans that his son Sid had been diagnosed with autism after he and his wife suspected it for a while. The couple had to wait until Sid turned three to get the diagnosis. Autism is not a disease or illness and is a spectrum - meaning everybody with autism is different. The NHS states: "Some autistic people need little or no support. Others may need help from a parent or carer every day."
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This isn't the first time Gregg has opened up about worrying when it comes to his son. In an interview with Ambitious about Autism last year, Gregg expressed his fears about Sid's ability to communicate if he's upset or unwell. He said: "The biggest challenge is... they're fears more than anything else. If he's upset or he's unwell, at the moment, he can't tell us, and I'm not sure how he would communicate that to us."
Appearing on Loose Women later the same year, Gregg spoke candidly about his son's diagnosis and offered advice to other parents in a similar situation: "Sid has autism. He's three, you can't legally diagnose it in this country until they are two-and-a-half, but we knew at about a year old that we had some issues."
He described the early signs of autism in Sid, telling the ITV panel: "For us and we found out that this is a kay he wasn't answering to his name, he wasn't playing peek-a-boo. He was walking and running around but he's got autism and he's got something called global development delay. So he's not speaking. But he is lovely and he is cuddly and he is happy. And if he wants something he grabs your hand and takes you."
Gregg went on to advice parents who suspect their child might have an issue, telling ITV viewers: "Honestly, if you think you might have an issue, go and see someone. We can see the development, he now makes eye contact, he now interacts more, these specialists teach you to interact more."