Michael Owen has emotionally said that he and his wife Louise Bonsall "pray every night" for a cure to be discovered for their son James' rare genetic condition.
James, who is soon to celebrate his 18th birthday, was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at just eight years old. It affects his eyesight, and he is now 'clinically blind', meaning he had to give up his dream of following in Liverpool FC legend Michael Owen's footsteps and becoming a footballer.
Michael, 44, and James, who share a very close bond, made a touching appearance on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, 23 January, where they spoke about James' condition.
On discovering James had the rare and incurable condition ten years ago, Michael told hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls: “I suppose as a parent, myself and my wife probably felt far worse than James, which sounds really bad. "You want to take all the pain away from him, you feel sorry for him every time he goes to hospital and gets new drops that make his eyes sting and he’s crying all day." Michael added: “But James was born that way, James doesn’t know any different.