Star talks about his relationship with autistic child

Hollywood actor Jim Carrey's trademark zany behaviour is reaping rewards in his personal life. In an interview on American television this week, Carrey and his girlfriend Jenny McCarthy have been talking about life with Jenny's autistic six-year-old son Evan. And Jenny revealed that the qualities that make Jim such a star on the big screen have proved to be useful when building a relationship with Evan.

When I first introduced Evan to Jim, you know...you never quite know what to expect,' explained Jenny. 'A lot of people don't understand, when they meet a child with autism. You have to be very animated to get that child's attention, and I think I can tell you that I have the most animated boyfriend in the world. But he really had a way of understanding Evan's thinking. And I watched it and went 'Oh my gosh, he's got it.'

Carrey also explained how Jenny came up with the nickname autism whisperer for him. ' One of the days I kind of broke through, I think possibly why [Jenny] calls me the autism whisperer...I would try to talk to [Evan] and I couldn't get his attention, and was always saying 'EVAN, EVAN, EVAN!' So one day I thought, 'I wonder if this will work?' (whispers Evan's name twice) And it got his attention immediately, because it interested him. That's what these kids need, something to grab their interest.'

In a sweet moment, Carrey says of his relationship with Evan; 'He taught me how to love. And without Evan I might never have seen the greatness of Jenny's spirit.'

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