Cucurella's girlfriend gives emotional interview on son's autism diagnosis

Marc Cucurella's girlfriend Claudia Rodriguez has opened up on the challenges they've faced in raising their autistic child together.

The couple feature on the latest season of Married to the Game, which looks into the lives of the wives and girlfriends of leading Premier League footballers.

The likes of Jorginho, Leon Bailey and Riyad Mahrez also star in the show alongside their partners however it's Cucurella and Rodriguez's story which tugs on the heartstrings.

The couple met when they were teenagers and since then have formed an inseparable bond and have three kids - Mateo, Rio, and Bella.

Eldest son Mateo, four, has been diagnosed with autism and, during the show, Rodriguez opened up on the challenges that the couple have faced.

Speaking on the show, airing April 8, she said: 'We saw something different about Mateo when he was small, about 13 months old, but it was a long process to get the diagnosis. When he was smaller it was easier but now he's growing up, it's more difficult.

'When we moved to Chelsea, we started him at school and he was very upset, and we didn't know the solution. You have to find it yourself, and you feel very bad because you are not prepared for it.

'You prepared to be a mum, but not to be a mum of an autistic kid, so you feel bad. It was very, very difficult to see him like that, so upset, and we just tried to find the best solution.

'I told Marc we had to find a special school for him because he wasn't learning, he wasn't enjoying his life. I didn't want to lose any more time, we had to do something.

'So I found an amazing place in London where they understood him and they understood his needs, so we moved him there and our lives changed completely. At first I drove him there from our house in Cobham but it was two hours to drive in the morning and another two hours to pick him up again. I was in the car all day long.

'Then we had a robbery in that house and I decided I didn't want to go back there, so we moved to London and that made it easier for Mateo to get to his school.'

When asked how Mateo copes now, she said: 'He's good, he sometimes says a few words, repeats them back, and we're just working on it. You never know what the future will hold for him but we are working on it.

'I don't know if he will speak or not. I don't know anything, but we are trying to do everything for him. I went to Madrid one week ago to do some tests, all day long we are trying to find solutions, and that's the best we can do.'

Finally, speaking about the aforementioned robbery, Rodriguez said: 'Marc was upstairs in the shower with Mateo, I was pregnant with Bella and I went to my room to get the milk bottle for Rio, I had him on my hip.

'As I was going to my room, I saw two doors closed and the light on in the dresser and it just didn't look right. It's not how we usually leave it. I opened the door and saw someone in there with a bag, looking at me.

'And I completely understood in that moment what was happening. I was terrified – very, very scared. You know, I was pregnant and with two kids in the house.

'I went downstairs to press the panic button, and I shouted at Marc to come. We waited in the laundry room and called the police, called everyone to help us, and it was terrifying.

'It was very difficult to sleep for the next days, the next months, even. I couldn't go anywhere alone. I always needed someone. I'd say, "Can you come with me to my room?"'

Married To The Game is available exclusively on Prime Video on April 8.