And the newborn son of celebrity chef Novelli also has the disease
CELEBRITY chef Jean-Christophe Novelli has revealed his eight-week-old son has also been diagnosed with cancer.
The 55-year-old Frenchman and his fiancee Michelle Kennedy, 40, found a lump on newborn Valentino’s neck last week.
Doctors have now discovered he is suffering from neuroblastoma cancer.
Novelli has postponed all forthcoming work engagements to be with his family.
A spokesman told Hello! magazine: ‘Jean-Christophe’s priority at this time is supporting his family as they deal with this devastating news, it is still very early days but they remain positive and believe the NHS experts are doing everything possible.
‘Jean has had to postpone all his immediate work over the next two weeks to be with his baby and support his family, but is grateful for the understanding and support during this very difficult time.’
Neuroblastoma is a cancer of specialised nerve cells involved in the development of the nervous system.
However, the prognosis for children under 18 months old with neuroblastoma is generally good. They often have low-risk tumours, and most children in this age group are cured of the disease.
Novelli and Miss Kennedy had Valentino Louis – who weighed in at 6lbs 1oz – in late September. The baby joined their sons Jean, eight, and Jacques, four, and Novelli’s daughter Christina, 30, from a previous marriage. The chef moved to Britain from Arras in northern France in 1983, and won the first of two Michelin stars as chef patron at Gordleton Mill in Lymington, Hampshire.
In 1996 he founded his first restaurant, Maison Novelli, in London, and opened more in Liverpool, France and South Africa.
In 2005 he became a household name after appearing in the second series of ITV’s Hell’s Kitchen, alongside Gary Rhodes, and a year later appeared in a celebrity version of The X Factor with fellow chefs Aldo Zilli, Paul Rankin and Ross Burden.
Last month, Novelli told Hello!: ‘I have always wanted three sons and this is the perfect hat-trick. All the ingredients are here for a lovely recipe. It’s wonderful to have children.’