has revealed her son was left ‘seriously underweight’ due to food sensitivities caused by is autism.
The model, 34, revealed that her son Leo, eight, almost had to have a PEG tube (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) which pumps food directly into the stomach, as he was not getting the nutrients he needed from his food.
She told the that her three children, who she shares with , 48, all have sensitivities to the taste, smell and texture of different foods, but Leo struggled the most.
Christine explained: ‘We had vomit after vomit for years. It felt like we’d feed them, and then we’d clean it up to the point where Leo was seriously underweight, and it was affecting his health.’
Leo, his twin Penelope, and sister Felicity, six, have all been diagnosed with autism and all have limited foods which they will eat.
She added: ‘[Leo] wasn’t getting the right vitamins and we discussed putting a PEG in [the stomach], and just having that conversation at the time – I remember it being heart-breaking.’
Thankfully the family was able to avoid the operation and Leo’s meals are supplemented with vitamins and milkshakes to ensure he is getting everything he needs nutritionally.
last year after seeing similar patterns in her own behaviour to that of her children.
She revealed that she and Paddy use music therapy to help themselves and their children relax, adding: ‘Music is an incredible thing. It does help you to kind of switch off, and you don’t think about all the other stresses and therefore I think children act a little bit better, and they’re more relaxed. For us music therapy is thing in our house.’
Christine admitted that Paddy is not ‘over the moon’ with the music but that she finds the repetitiveness soothing.
