Jean-Christophe Novelli has said the coronavirus lockdown made him realise he was in denial of his son's severe autism.
The famous French chef credits the lockdown to helping him discover the severity of Valentino's condition.
Valentino was diagnosed with autism in 2019, but it seems his dad had no idea just how intense his condition was.
The former Hell's Kitchen star, 59, admitted "it's been very challenging" as he isolates with his wife Michelle Kennedy and his three sons Valentino, three, Jean, 11, and Jacques, seven.
Speaking to OK! magazine about their son, Michelle explained how he has noticed a "change to his routine" due to strict stay at home measures.
Jean-Christophe revealed: "Valentino is the clock of the house.
"We tried but there are no set times when Valentino wants to eat. It's a constant thing making sure he doesn't stress himself out."
While his mum added: "He's started these little routines in the garden. He gathers things and puts them all in one place, then he takes them up the slide and watches them all roll down. He can do that for hours."
The dad-of-four admitted that before the lockdown was imposed, he didn't "realise" his son put marks around the house to acknowledge his bearings.
Michelle also admitted Valentino will place colour-coordinated objects around the home, saying she's "never seen behaviour like it".
"It's baffling but it makes sense to him and makes his anxiety subside for a while," she explained.
"It blows me away because I've never seen behaviour like it. He has a severe type of autism."
"The doctors told me that not a lot of things make sense to him but doing those little things do."
Valentino was diagnosed with autism in December 2019 after overcoming a rare and aggressive form of cancer - neuroblastoma.
At the time, Jean-Christophe told Sunday Mirror : "It's a lot to take in. 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.
"When Michelle told me he has severe autism I just thought, 'thank f**k, at least he's alive'. Even in this situation, we are very, very privileged, we live in a great country."
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033
