MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace reveals son, 4, may never be able to speak and is still in nappies but says ‘we’re so lucky’
TV presenter Gregg Wallace has revealed the challenges he faces parenting his autistic son Sid - but says the pair have an unbreakable bond that makes him feel proud.
The MasterChef host, 59, who has grown up children Tom and Libby, welcomed youngest son Sid with third wife Anne-Marie, 36, in 2019.
The youngster is currently non-verbal and Gregg admits he's unsure if he will ever be able to speak.
While Sid has found other ways of communicating, like leading his parents by the hand, Gregg remains fearful of missing signs his son is unwell or upset.
In an exclusive interview in conjunction with , Gregg 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.
"He started school and, of course, you can't say 'are you making friends?' So all you've got is him skipping into school and looking forward going into school."
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While high-profile celebrities such as Gregg, Paddy and Christine McGuinness and Katie Price have been shining a spotlight on autism due to their own children's needs, there are still plenty of misconceptions out there about the condition.
For Gregg, social situations that many take for granted require a little bit more planning to ensure they run without a hitch.
He continued: "An issue is the public understanding when you go out that you haven't got a naughty child, you've got a child that simply doesn't understand the concept of 'be good and we'll give you ice cream' or 'it will be here in a minute'.
"You can't bribe or threaten him. When he's bored or fed up, that's it.
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"Of course, he can't use cutlery. He's very particular about the food he eats. If you're going to try and go out for lunch you have to tell the pub first you're bringing your own food for your little boy."
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts people socially and developmentally in a myriad of ways.
For Sid, one of these is a delay to toilet training, but Gregg is hopeful his new school will help him grasp it.
Gregg continued: "He's still in nappies as well, but we're very fortunate with the school. They're going to try and work on his toilet training.
"It's his first term. We were like 'what are you going to be doing with our Syd?' and they went 'nothing at all but play'. He's going to have this first term falling in love with school.
"The sad thing is no expert can tell you how Sid is going to develop. The good news is no expert can tell you how he's going to develop.
"What we are pretty sure of is he will be communicating, either through sign language or through a key board or through cards or maybe through verbal or perhaps a combination all of them. But he will be able to communicate in more subtle ways with us. We're pretty sure of that, we just don't know how."
Gregg and Anne-Marie, with the help of her parents, have fostered a loving family home that Sid can feel comfortable growing up in.
"We have got an incredibly cuddly little boy," said Gregg. "His grandparents have always lived here, he's got two rescue dogs, Frenchies that follow him around, and he's got his mum and his grandmother.
"No one has ever shouted at Sid. Nobody has ever got angry at Sid, Sid's default position is a cuddle. He's a very happy child who loves people. He loves children. He doesn't interact very much, but he will sit and watch them and wants to be in with them.
"We're very fortunate in many, many ways."
Certainly, Sid's new collaboration with charity Ambitious about Autism is one such thing to be feeling good about.
In a bid to raise awareness, acceptance and much needed funds, Sid has had a new variety of rose named after him, The Little Sid.
Gregg's friend Peter McDermott from You Garden came up with the clever idea and £5 from the proceeds of each rose sale will go directly to the charity.
When Gregg put the idea to mum Anne-Marie, she cried and called it "brilliant".
"I'm so very proud of my little boy, said Gregg. "For someone who can't speak, he's got a such a big personality and everybody loves him.
"I want to raise awareness and funds for Ambitious about Autism because I'm very much attached to them."
The rose itself is close in colour to raspberry, which is Sid's favourite flavour, and it has a honey scent, which was selected by Gregg.
He said: "It's Sid. It's a our little boy and, more than anything, you don't tend to see autistic children in magazines, and there's so much misunderstanding and it's such a complicated issue.
"They're not people that need to be cured, they're people that need to be understood, that's why I'm doing this."
The Little Sid Rose will be sold via , Harkness Rose Company and World of Roses. The rose will also be on proud display at next year’s Chelsea Flower Show taking place in May.
