Gregg Wallace has shared a photo of his son Sid, four, enjoying a cuddle from his dad.
The sweet snap shared on Instagram on Saturday, showed the Masterchef host gazing down at his youngest child as they snuggled up on the sofa. ‘Me n my little boy Sid’, the star lovingly captioned the post.
The new photo of Sid, who was diagnosed with autism in 2022, left fans in tears.
One fan commented: ‘Pretending to chop onions right now!! What a lovely photo. No words needed.’
Gregg lives in the Kent countryside with Sid, his wife Anna and her parents Rina and Massimo.
Gregg Wallace has shared a photo of his son Sid, four, enjoying a cuddle from his dad. ‘Me n my little boy Sid’, the star lovingly captioned the post
In July Gregg told the Daily Mail about his close bond with his son. Speaking about Sid’s development, Gregg admitted: ‘Sid is four years old, Sid is autistic, Sid is non-verbal.’
‘He’s still in nappies. He doesn’t use cutlery. His choice of foods is very limited, but he’s a beautiful boy.
‘Luckily we don’t have many sensory issues. He enjoys play, he enjoys cuddles. And we’re seeing more and more interaction, which is giving us hope. And that’s all we need.’
Gregg spoke for the first time about how Sid’s physical contact with his parents was improving.
The TV star explained ‘As soon as they’re making contact, you want to give praise, hold their hand, look at their face, put on a show. Make it exciting, so they want to stay in your world and not retreat back into theirs. It’s hard, but it’s working so far.’
‘Sid lies down on a rug with his iPad, rocking backwards and forwards. When they’re retreating, you retreat with them. I get down on the rug about three feet away from him and do exactly the same as he’s doing.’
‘He’s started coming over, lying beside me, putting his hand on my arm or his head on my shoulder. It’s great. We have no idea how far this is going to go, but we’re going to keep trying, because we’re seeing a difference in him already.’
Anna has spent the second half of 2023 taking an online course with American experts to understand how best to engage with Sid.
The new photo of Sid, who was diagnosed with autism in 2022, left fans in tears. One fan commented: ‘Pretending to chop onions right now!! What a lovely photo. No words needed’
In July Gregg told the Daily Mail about his close bond with his son. ‘Sid is four years old, Sid is autistic, Sid is non-verbal…but he’s a beautiful boy’ he said
‘She’s learning how to coach him, not to cure or reverse his autism, but coach him to communicate, possibly speak,’ Gregg explained.
A viewer rang in to tell him about the US approach after he mentioned Sid on a recent episode of Loose Women. ‘I’ve started instigating different play methods and interactions with Sid and we are seeing progress.’
Earlier this year Gregg announced a major career change, quitting his hit show Inside The Factory to support Sid and help Anna find the right education setting for their son.
Gregg, a former greengrocer, described Sid as a ‘lovely, lovely little boy’ with a ‘wonderful mother’ but admitted ‘it’s not easy’.
Gregg lives in the Kent countryside with Sid, his wife Anna (pictured) and her parents Rina and Massimo
The MasterChef host conceded that filming the show involves a lot of travelling away from his family as he visits factories spanning the country.
‘So I’ve made a decision that I’m actually not going to do Inside The Factory any more,’ the star said.
‘Right now, we need to find education for him and I can’t just leave that to Anna – that’s a big, big decision.
‘I mean, all parents worry about the schools that children will go to. Ours is even more highlighted because of poor little Sid’s issues.’