Gregg Wallace has made a short film to highlight the plight of low-income families with a disabled or ill child - after discovering that his own son is autistic.
The MasterChef star, 57, says he was “just staggered” to discover how the cost of living crisis is stretching already tight budgets to breaking point.
He has joined forces with food company McCain and national charity Family Fund after his own three-year-old Sid, who is non-verbal, was recently diagnosed with autism.
Gregg, who has two grown-up children from a previous marriage, spent the day with single mum Daisy White and her kids Molly, Sapphire and 12-year-old Rhys, who has chronic kidney disease meaning his life expectancy is limited to around 25.
Working with Daisy to prep healthy meals on a tiny budget the BBC wanted to help - but found he simply had no advice to give.
“There were a number of things that piqued my interest,” he told the Mirror. “One was the fact that I've got a child with learning difficulties. Another was that I was a single dad for a number of years.
"And the third is, with my background in food, I thought - incorrectly - that I might be able to add something, that in some way I could give some advice.
"But actually what I realised when I met Daisy, the family, is that I really, honestly didn't have a clue. I had no idea about the situation that some people find themselves in. It was just staggering.”
Gregg admitted that spending the day with the Whites had proved eye-opening.
At one point Rhys says one of his favourite things is going in lifts - because they remind him of how it feels to leave the hospital ward - where he’s endured 38 operations and spent two out of his three Christmases.
“That was probably the most emotional bit for me,” Gregg admits.
He said that he found Daisy, who can no longer afford a joint of meat for a Sunday, to be inspirational.
“She’s turned into a bit of a hero of mine. I'm used to talking to people who like to cook because they throw dinner parties, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
"But Daisy has incredible cookery skills because she's had to feed her family. She simply can't afford to go to the chippie and she can't afford to buy ready meals.”
He said he was hugely impressed by her self-taught skills, which meant she could knock up a béchamel sauce for lasagne, or a roux for macaroni cheese, in seconds. “I was like, ‘Were you taught? Did you go to college?’ No, she didn’t. It’s just through absolute necessity.”
Gregg reckons that politicians have plenty to learn from people like Daisy. “I honestly think the government should grab somebody like her as an example of what can be done.
"It would be nice to have her as a kind of government sponsored teacher. - she’s got so much to give in terms of cooking ability, planning ability, budgeting ability. I was amazed by her."
The film, released on Wednesday on mccainfamilyfund.co.uk, aims to raise awareness of the struggles some families face. Gregg, who found the whole experience “emotional”, has only recently discovered that his youngest son Sid is autistic. He says that his own situation is very different.
“It makes you count your blessings, you realise you haven't got a situation anywhere near as tough as Daisy's. With little Sid, there's lots of care and I'm not on my own. I have a wife here and I also have in-laws here as well.
“I wouldn't have chosen for Sid to have these difficulties. I'm sure Daisy wouldn't have chosen this life for herself or for Rhys, but you do get on with it. I don't need help but I think there are families like Daisy's that most certainly do need help. I can't think of anybody more deserving than her.”
He is hoping that by promoting the work done by the charity, with the support of McCain, he can give them a boost. “I’m sure if we are more aware, then help will come. I think there's a lack of understanding here. There most certainly was for me. I came away from that quite embarrassed that I didn't know more.”
Gregg was shocked to learn that the cost of having a disabled or ill child is three times the cost of having a child without special needs. That is compounded by the fact that Daisy can’t work full-time. “The cost of looking after Rhys, if it's not her, is just prohibitive,” he explained.
“She doesn't know how Rhys is going to be every morning until he wakes up, and neither does Rhys. So it's absolutely impossible for her to have a full-time job. That's through no fault of their own.
“I've found myself as a single parent. That's not something that you choose to do. She's found herself with a seriously disabled, wonderful child in Rhys, and that's not something that she chose to do.
"So this actually had quite an impact on me. Because I'm a practical person and I'm not scared of rolling my sleeves up and getting stuck in. But I thought to myself, ‘What on earth do you do?’”
Research conducted for the campaign reveals that 90% of families raising disabled children are struggling to pay, or falling behind on, their household bills, with average debts now set at around £5,500.
Family Fund aims to provide essential grants and support services to those who need it most, helping 112,000 families. There are still an estimated half a million more UK families who could access its grants and services.
For more information and to watch the film go to mccainfamilyfund.co.uk
