The fiancee of TV chef Jean-Christophe Novelli has said the idea their autistic three-year-old son may never talk is ‘terrifying’.
Michelle Kennedy, 44, has three sons with Jean-Christophe, 58, her partner for the past 11 years, including Valentino, who has already overcome cancer and been diagnosed with autism.
Valentino was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, at six weeks old in 2018.
Challenge: Jean-Christophe Novelli’s fiancee Michelle Kennedy said the idea their autistic son Valentino (top left), 3, may never talk is ‘terrifying’ (pictured: The family in Hello! Magazine)
Michelle told Hello! magazine: ‘He’s very active and dynamic, and takes me by the hand to show me things. But he won’t talk and I’m longing to hear him say “Mummy”.
‘I’ve been assured that once he starts talking we won’t be able to stop him. Until then, he appears to enjoy communicating through music and art.’
Michelle also said educating themselves about autism had helped the pair cope.
She added: ‘We didn’t know anything about the condition and when we heard words associated with it, such as ‘non-verbal’, we were frightened.
Tough times: Michelle Kennedy has three sons with Jean-Christophe, her partner for the past 11 years, including Valentino, who has already overcome cancer and been diagnosed with autism
‘Did this mean that we would never hear Valentino speak? It was a terrifying thought.
‘We discovered the only way to stop this fear was to educate ourselves about the condition.
‘When you find out that there’s lots of help and support out there, and that so many other parents are going through the same ordeal, you deal with it.
Centre stage: The family opened up in the latest issue of Hello! magazine
‘You come out of it a kinder person because you have to understand something which you’d never needed to think about before. Suddenly, it’s not the end of the world.’
The couple plan to spend Christmas Day at home with Valentino and his two older brothers Jean, 11, and Jacques, seven.
‘It’s the only day I don’t cook,’ said Jean-Christophe.
‘That’s her Christmas present to me. Mine to her is that I do the washing-up.’
He added that his Christmas wish would be to have another child.
He said: ‘I’d like another child. That would be lovely.’
Michelle added: ‘Whenever he says this, it makes me want one, too. I’ve always wanted a little girl and I’d call her Bridie, after my nan.’
‘Whatever happens, we’re blessed to be together to celebrate Christmas as a family.’
The full interview is in Hello!, out now.
The interview comes after Jean-Christophe opened about coping with vValentino’s autism diagnosis following his cancer recovery.
During an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain in October, the celebrity chef, praised Michelle for being a tower of strength, while admitting that he had yet to assess how he was coping himself.
He told GMB hosts Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway: ‘Obviously, two weeks ago we found out the news that he is severely autistic.
‘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.
Coping: The interview comes after Jean-Christophe opened about coping with Valentino’s autism following his cancer recovery during an interview on Good Morning Britain in October
‘She does cope very well. 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.’
The French-born star, who visited GMB alongside fellow chef Aldo Zilli to promote the show Celebrity Hunted, faces the new challenge one year on from his son being given the all-clear after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma at just 10 weeks.
And with Valentino’s diagnosis, Jean-Christophe was taking a positive approach, revealing he was just pleased his adorable toddler was still alive.
Difficult: The celebrity chef praised Michelle for being a tower of strength (pictured: The star on his TV series Culinary Genius)