“Forgive the mess,” Harry Wells says as we enter his house in South Leicestershire.
It’s a busy, warm and loving home, which he and his wife Lilla are renovating. In the living room, their three sons are playing.
It is Wells’ testimonial year for Leicester Tigers, a club which he has served since he was 16 and has made over 200 appearances for. He also has one England cap to his name, earned in 2021.
Being given a testimonial, a year of events that will raise money for him and his chosen charities, is a mark of the dedication and loyalty he has shown his boyhood club.
There’s a 10-year period in Tigers history where he is the only player to have come through their academy and stayed.
But it is in his home where you see the biggest dedication he has made in his life – to his family.
He was 22, and wife Lilla 20, when they had twins Oscar and Theo. Now 10, Oscar was diagnosed with autism as a small boy.
“I think when you hear the word autism or autistic, you have a perception of what it is or what it could be,” Lilla tells BBC Leicester.
“We have a version in our mind – but the spectrum is never ending. Everyone is different, in our own ways.
“We were so young, it was such a shock, and we had to learn so much – but we nailed it.”
Oscar is very friendly and welcoming, as are Harry and Lilla’s other sons, Theo and Zach. They chat to us while playing – Oscar is open and engaging about life with autism.
He requires different schooling, and a high level of care. There is not much rest for the couple, who met 13 years ago, but as Harry says, they “wouldn’t change it for the world.”
“He likes being independent, doesn’t he?” Harry says to Lilla.
“He’s completely obsessed with Minecraft. He can tell us absolutely anything about it, like he’s artistic, he’s organised in his own way, isn’t he?”
Lilla added: “He likes to mimic, that’s how he learns best, so sometimes he’s got a bit of an American accent, which is good fun, isn’t it? He’s so loving.
“When he was young it was hard. He wanted to do everything independently, and he’s starting to learn that he needs his parents, and his siblings, but he’s a real leader, and he’s great fun.”
