Former 'Home and Away' star reveals her son has autism

Former Home and Away star-turned-radio presenter Christie Hayes has revealed her oldest son, Hendrix, has been diagnosed with autism.

The actress, who has been open about her oft-bumpy journey through motherhood, took to Instagram to share a beautiful image of her nearly three-year-old with a message announcing his diagnosis.

In the post Christie said she had been sitting on the news for the past month and only now deciced to share it because she believes it will help not only her son, but that it will also help others.

"I know of course how lucky we are, my son hasn't been diagnosed with a terminal illness or something that warrants extreme devastation, but being told that your child is different and might have some challenges ahead is not always easy. You never want your baby to have something you take for granted - such as talking and basic social skills, as a problem," Christie wrote.

She added: "He's so funny and cute, and whilst he can't talk to us yet, (he is 3 in October) I know he is having great conversations all the time because he sits there laughing his head off. This tells me he has a wonderful imagination which makes me doubly proud and equally inspired. My heart sometimes breaks because I've been waiting almost 3 years to hear my little boy say "mum", but we're so lucky to have access to so much support."

The mother-of-two went on to call her son a 'ray of sunshine' adding that he shows 'lots of love in smiles, cuddles and hand holding'.

Fans of the star were quick to praise her for her openess with many sending messages of love on her Instagram post.

Christie is a regular on The Morning Show and has openly discussed her shock at discovering she was pregnant with her second child when Hendrix was just six weeks old.

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