Watch moment Gregg Wallace’s son Sid counts to ten – after MasterChef star revealed he ‘couldn’t talk aged 4’
MASTERCHEF’S Gregg Wallace shared a sweet clip of his son Sid counting to 10 after it was revealed he ‘couldn’t talk aged four’.
The proud dad, 59, posted the video with his 189k followers on Instagram.
Gregg and wife Anne-Marie Sterpin, 36, welcomed their boy into the world in 2019.
Sid, who was diagnosed with autism in 2022, spoke his first words last month.
The TV chef took to his page to share another milestone – counting to 10.
Sid sat on his grandma’s lap while he counted and everyone listening cheered in the background when he completed the sequence.
Gregg captioned the post: “Sid & Nonna @ambitiousaboutautism.”
Many rushed to the comments section to congratulate the young boy with his achievement.
One wrote: “Aww well done Sid. You are a star.”
Another added: “Go Sid, you’re doing great.”
“I love this it brings joy to my heart well done Sid ! My grandson is 7 and non verbal we still keep fingers crossed he will speak one day x,” a third chimed in.
A fourth commented: “Omg, so amazing to hear him, im crying again, my heart is brusting with pride, and i dont even know you, @greggawallace. Well done, Sid. I pray for our day soon xx.”
In March Gregg revealed that Sid had spoken his first words.
Gregg shared a video of the huge milestone and proudly told his fans: “Sid is counting! It’s his first words!”
A delighted Anna also shared the clip, writing: “The best Mother’s Day present I could ever have.
“This little boy has made me the happiest I could ever be. I am so proud of him. This is Sid and his voice.”
In November last year Gregg told The Sun that Sid was non-verbal at the time, and shared his worries that he may not be able to speak.
Greg told us: “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.”
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts people socially and developmentally in a myriad of ways.
Back in January Gregg shared that Sid was making huge progress after a special family Christmas.
Speaking on ITV‘s Lorraine about Sid’s development since starting at a special needs school in the autumn, Gregg said: “He, for the first time ever, opened his presents properly and played with his presents and interacted with the family, so a shout out for his school, Five Acre Wood, a special needs school in Kent where we live.
“They’ve done a great job with him so we can see massive progress with him. He’s a good boy.”
Gregg then added: “I’ve just got to say, we’re not looking to cure our little boy, we’re looking to understand him more and give him the best opportunity we can.”
Gregg and Anne-Marie met in 2013 and tied the knot in 2016.
The TV star has been married three times before Anne-Marie.
He is also dad to Tom and Libby, who he shares with his ex wife Denise.
What are the signs and symptoms of ASD?
The NHS outlines the signs of symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in school-age children.
Spoken language
- preferring to avoid using spoken language
- speech that sounds very monotonous or flat
- speaking in pre-learned phrases, rather than putting together individual words to form new sentences
- seeming to talk “at” people, rather than sharing a two-way conversation
Responding to others
- taking people’s speech literally and being unable to understand sarcasm, metaphors or figures of speech
- reacting unusually negatively when asked to do something by someone else
Interacting with others
- not being aware of other people’s personal space, or being unusually intolerant of people entering their own personal space
- little interest in interacting with other people, including children of a similar age, or having few close friends, despite attempts to form friendships
- not understanding how people normally interact socially, such as greeting people or wishing them farewell
- being unable to adapt the tone and content of their speech to different social situations – for example, speaking very formally at a party and then speaking to total strangers in a familiar way
- not enjoying situations and activities that most children of their age enjoy
- rarely using gestures or facial expressions when communicating
- avoiding eye contact
Behaviour
- repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, rocking back and forth, or flicking their fingers
- playing in a repetitive and unimaginative way, often preferring to play with objects rather than people
- developing a highly specific interest in a particular subject or activity
- preferring to have a familiar routine and getting very upset if there are changes to their normal routine
- having a strong like or dislike of certain foods based on the texture or colour of the food as much as the taste
- unusual sensory interests – for example, children with ASD may sniff toys, objects or people inappropriately