Grantchester is back on our screens for a delightful fourth season and it's the perfect antidote for miserable January.
And now Kacey Ainsworth, who play Geordie's wife Cathy, has spoken out about the challenges she has faced raising her son, who has autism.
The 50-year-old is mum to two kids - 14-year-old Blossom and 11-year-old Elwood.
The actor gave a rare insight into her family life when she explained that she gave up work for seven years, accepting one acting job a year, in order to care for Elwood.
She told The Mirror, ''I only did jobs with short time commitment and only one a year. It would have been too disruptive for me to have had a chaotic schedule."
She continued, ''My son is a unique, wonderful individual and looks at the world in a completely different way. I feel like I've been given a wonderful gift by him."
Kacey went on to say that everything is planned carefully to help lessen the possibility of distress for Elwood.
She said, ''Everything is negotiated and explained in advance. When he was younger we would show him pictures of a restaurant and even discuss what time we were going to leave."
Her son's autism was first noted by his nursery teacher, who noticed his different behaviour.
Kacey said, ''She'd noticed his black and white thinking, the fact he didn’t play with other children, his delayed speech, his repetitive behaviours and his rigidity. He couldn’t deal with change. If the room was set up differently he couldn’t even walk through the door."
Elwood was diagnosed at six-years-old and three years of monitoring by experts at the local communication disorder clinic followed.
He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and dyspraxia, but he still attends a regular school and Kacey couldn't be more proud of him.
She said, ''He has been captain of the rugby team. For a dyspraxic child that’s very unusual, but he works very hard at it. He also plays football and hockey, both at school and outside. His autism is actually quite helpful in his sport as his focus and commitment to winning are phenomenal.'
This honest depiction of bringing up a child who ahs been diagnosed with autism is so refreshing and we think that Kacey is doing a wonderful job.
