TV chef Jean-Christophe Novelli reveals son, three, may never talk due to autism after beating cancer
TV CHEF Jean-Christophe Novelli has revealed that his three-year-old son Valentino may never talk due to autism after beating cancer.
The 58-year-old star's son was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma at just six-weeks-old, but was given the all-clear in April 2017.
Now Jean-Christophe and fiancee Michelle Kennedy have opened up about the toddler's speech battle after he was diagnosed with autism earlier this year.
The pair spoke out following his daughter Christina Novelli's Santorini wedding, revealing that Michelle couldn't be at the emotional ceremony because she had to stay in the UK with Valentino.
Michelle told : "We’re having to accept that he may be non-verbal, which is very sad.
"He can’t even say 'Mummy', which is heartbreaking."
Singer Christina, 32, is Jean-Christophe's daughter from his first marriage to wife Tina, and he was proud to give her away as she tied the knot to music manager Tara Sirrell.
The French chef has three children with Michelle, his partner of 14 years, with the pair mum and dad to 11-year-old Jean Frankie, and seven-year-old Jacques as well as Valentino.
The family's world was rocked in 2016 when their newborn got the devastating cancer diagnosis, having to endure four gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and two further courses of the most aggressive form of the drug to beat it.
Against all odds, the little boy managed to fight the disease, but while he was being treated doctors told his parents that he has microdeletion syndrome.
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This is when there is a microscopic break in a person's chromosomes, and can have varied effects from autism to heart problems.
However, the news paled in comparison to what Valentino has already been through, and Jean-Christophe told the earlier this month: "He's been on a real long journey though and if he can beat cancer, he can handle this. He's a little fighter and we are looking on the positive side.
"When Michelle told me he has severe autism I just thought 'thank f***, at least he's alive'. Even in this situation, we are very, very privileged, we live in a great country."