'Easter miracle' for chef Jean-Christophe Novelli as fiancee and son recovering

Celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli has spoken of an "Easter miracle" as he revealed that he almost lost both his baby son and his fiancee.

The 56-year-old chef said in November that his newborn baby boy Valentino had been diagnosed with Neuroblastoma cancer.

It has emerged that his fiancee Michelle developed a blood clot and almost died after hours of sitting at her ill son's bedside led to deep vein thrombosis.

She is now recovering at home with Valentino, and Novelli said he believes the worst is behind them.

The multi-Michelin-star winner told the Daily Mail: "It is like our own special Easter miracle. Looking back, I now realise that I could have lost them both. It doesn't bear thinking about.

"We faced unimaginable hardship, but we've pulled through and I feel confident that the worst is over."

Novelli added: "I tried not to think about the prospect of losing them both. I just couldn't go to that place because it was too painful.

"It's only now I realise just how close Michelle came, and it doesn't bear thinking about. Obviously, I was beside myself."

Talking about his son, he said: "He is a real fighter. He's gone through more than most of us in our lives, but he's determined to survive. I just have to believe he will be OK."

Neuroblastoma is a cancer of developing nerve cells and it affects around 100 children every year in the UK, most commonly under-fives.

Symptoms include a lump in the neck - as in Valentino's case - as well as blue lumps in the skin and bruising, often around the eyes.