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Boy With Autism Sends Touching Letter To 'Clever' 'I'm A Celebrity' Star Anne Hegerty

Boy With Autism Sends Touching Letter To 'Clever' 'I'm A Celebrity' Star Anne Hegerty

The youngster said he hoped to have a 'cool' job like her one day

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

We are just a few days into this year's I'm a Celebrity but it looks as though the camp mates are already making an impression on audiences.

And one celeb in particular has had a profound impact on one little boy, after they claimed formidable quizzer Anne Hegerty was his hero.

Joseph, from Preston, has autism and wrote an incredibly heartwarming letter to The Chase star, thanking her for being such an inspiration to him and helping the 11-year-old cope with his own condition, which he find hard at times.

The 60-year-old was was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in 2007, and spoke openly about her life with the condition before she entered the jungle, with producers reportedly admitting they felt 'anxious' about how she was going to deal with life in camp.

After coming across the letter online, last year's winner Georgia Toffolo shared a photograph of it on her Twitter account.

The Made in Chelsea star wrote: "Kate this is so lovely! Would you mind me sharing this on my Instagram and Twitter?"

She latter added: "Love to Joseph!"

The little boy even drew his hero Thunderbird 2.
Twitter/Kate Jarvis

In his letter, Joseph opened up about how he loved Anne's 'cool' job and thought she was 'very clever' and had even drawn her a picture of Thunderbirds for the TV star.

He wrote: "To Anne, My name is Joseph Hughes and I am 11. I live in Preston Lancashire and I go to a specialist school. I was diagnosed with autism when I was 5. I like to watch you on The Chase.

"And now, I have been watching you in the jungle. I couldn't go in there because there are too many bugs. You are very clever.

"Sometimes people are mean to me because I am autistic but watching you makes me see that other people have autism too and maybe I can have a cool job like you when I am older. So you like Thunderbirds? I love them.

ITV/I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

"My favourite is Thunderbird 2. I have drawn you a picture, I hope you like it. Good luck in the jungle, I hope you like it. Love from Joseph."

Today, Joseph's mother Kate Jarvis told him his letter had gone viral and tells him that the team behind Thunderbirds had been in touch, and are going to send him a 'little something'.

The 11-year-old, who was filmed sitting on the sofa in his uniform and said he was 'really excited'.

You're an inspiration, Joseph.

Featured Image Credit: ITV

Topics: TV and Film, News, Inspirational, Interesting, UK Entertainment