Jean-Christophe Novelli has admitted he isn't sure how he's been coping following the news that his three-year-old son Valentino has autism. The celebrity chef, who appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday, praised his wife Michelle Kennedy for being so valiant, but revealed he isn't so sure about his own strength.
"Obviously, two weeks ago we found out the news that he is severely autistic," said Jean-Christophe. "My wife, I don't know how she copes. I keep saying, he's alive. It's another area where we don't know how to cope. She does cope very well." He added: "Me personally, I don't know. We are trying to face the situation. But we are fortunate. We are living in a great country and there's so much done behind the scenes, the NHS are fabulous."
WATCH: Jean-Christophe reveals how he's coping with his son's autism diagnosis
Jean-Christophe and Michelle welcomed their little boy in 2016. Valentino was six weeks old when he was diagnosed with stage 4S neuroblastoma, an extremely rare form of childhood cancer, which had grown into an inoperable tumour around his neck. Thankfully at eight months old, Valentino was declared cancer-free.
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Jean-Christophe Novelli revealed his son is severely autistic
But earlier this month, Jean-Christophe revealed his family's new challenge as he spoke about Valentino's autism diagnosis. "It's a lot to take in," he told the Sunday Mirror. "We just think, 'Oh my god, can we not just give this boy a break?' 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." The chef added: "Even in this situation, we are very, very privileged, we live in a great country."
Little Valentino beat cancer when he was a baby
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Back in 2017, the father-of-four and his partner Michelle celebrated their son overcoming cancer. "He never smiled before; now he laughs all the time," said Michelle. "When his two older brothers come home from school, the first thing they do is bomb upstairs to see him. His face lights up and he gets really excited when they rush in. He bounces up and down, eager to interact with them, and they love each other to bits."
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