Former Home and Away star Christie Hayes has shared a deeply emotional admission about her relationship with her son, Hendrix.
The actress-turned-radio host, 39, revealed during Channel Seven's The Morning Show on Thursday that she's never been able to have a conversation with Hendrix, 11, who has Level 3 autism.
Speaking with co-hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies, Christie laid bare the deeply personal struggles her family has faced, while stressing the crucial need for patience.
'Hendrix didn't say the word mum until he was four. I've never really heard him have ... You know when you see memes and they go, "If you could have a conversation with anyone, who would it be?" It would be my little boy,' she said.
'I've never had a proper conversation with my son.
'I think that the world needs to be more patient with people that live with autism, and any parent out there knows what it's like to have an autistic child. There are wonderful days, but there's also really hard days - meltdowns, lack of sleep.
t is difficult at times. It's a wonderful job as motherhood is in any capacity.'
Christie, who shot to stardom in 2000 playing teen wild child Kirsty Sutherland on Home and Away, also encouraged viewers to join Walk for Autism in May – a campaign that challenges participants to walk 7,000 steps a day while raising funds and awareness.
In a post shared to her Instagram earlier this month, Christie offered more details about the relationship with her son.
'He still has limited speech,' she wrote.
'And I sometimes wonder if he knows what he's saying when he parrots me back and tells me he loves me.
'As Hendrix's mum, my job is to make sure he never walks alone. To stand beside him, to advocate for him, and to be his voice when he doesn't quite have one yet.'
The Hit Network radio host is mother to three children, sons Hendrix, 11, Harley, 10, and daughter Marigold 'Goldie', who she welcomed in November 2025 with husband Justin Coombes-Pearce.
She shares her two sons with ex-husband Daniel White. The pair split in 2019 after marrying in 2015.
Christie announced on air in May 2025 that she and Justin – also a radio host on Triple M – were excitedly preparing to welcome their first child together after a gruelling four-year IVF journey.
When she announced her pregnancy, she included an emotional message to families going through IVF.
'It's been four years in the making … I am pregnant. We are ecstatic, we are safe, and we're in the second trimester already,' she said.
'I just want you to know that if you are going through IVF, I have been where you are. I know how hard it is. I just want you to know that it can happen. When you least expect it, your life can change.'
In a touching tribute to the baby Christie and Justin lost, she added, 'After the rain comes the rainbow.
'After losing a baby, two back-to-back chemical pregnancies, our miracle is finally here. And now, somehow, it makes sense. The final piece of our puzzle.'
'To my fellow IVF warriors – I see you. I am you. If you're still waiting, still aching, still hoping – please don't give up. Your miracle might just be around the corner, your story is still unfolding and we never know what the next chapter holds.
'Our beautiful boys and my darling husband and I couldn't be happier.'
In April last year, Christie told New Idea magazine that losing their first baby 'ripped our hearts out'.
They had brought a special Christmas decoration for the child they'd nicknamed 'Sunflower', which read, 'Mummy and Daddy can't wait to meet you in 2024'.
At the time, Christie spoke of being 'hopeful but realistic' about whether they'd become pregnant again.
When announcing on May 26 last year that he was set to become a father, Justin shared an emotionally charged message on social media.
'We're finally in the "safe zone", and I still can't quite believe I get to say those words,' he said.
'We've walked through more heartbreak than we ever imagined – endless appointments, IVF rounds that didn't work, moments we felt completely broken, and nights when we clung to each other and tried to stay strong when it all felt hopeless.
'But through it all, we never stopped believing in this dream. There's a tiny heartbeat growing stronger each day, and so is our love and excitement.'
Now based in Hobart, Christie first rose to fame after playing 'twins' Kirsty Sutherland and Laura DeGroot on Home and Away. The characters were twin sisters separated at birth.
After leaving the soap in 2005, she returned in 2008 before making a final exit in October the following year.
In 2022, she launched the Dan and Christie Show on the Hit Network with co-host Dan Taylor.
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