Jackie Stallone says that her son, Sylvester, was born “deformed” and doctors didn’t expect him to live to reach adulthood.

She said: “During the delivery to speed things up, they grabbed these ice-picks [forceps] and yanked the baby out paralysing his whole head and face and part of his body. His body was so deformed it was pathetic.

“The doctors told me ‘He’s so crippled you ought to put him away.’ But I decided he was going to walk, he was going to talk.”

She explained: “Since that day Sylvester has come a long way. His face and throat are still paralysed and when he speaks he speaks strangely, like this: ‘Helloo, hoow are yoouu?’ He stares at you and speaks with his eyes. And nobody can say that for someone born so handicapped getting to where he has is anything short of a great triumph for Sylvester.”

i. can’t. stop. laughing.