Romeo Beckham

Romeo's illness emerged after the family was ambushed by photographers at Heathrow airport last weekend. Romeo, who had been warned about the danger, first hide his eyes with his hands before Victoria picked him up to hold his face against her body.

According to the News of the World, the worried mum yelled at the photographers to "leave him alone. He's got epilepsy. All that flashing will start an epileptic fit. You can¡¯t do that!"

A source told the paper: "Romeo was very distressed. He hates flashes going off because he knows what they can do to him. Normally he just shields his eyes but this was right in his face. There was nowhere for them to go."

"Victoria was really scared and tried to shield him. She was furious. That's why she yelled out - anything to make them stop and think about what they're doing to him."

A source close to the family in Spain told the paper that Romeo was diagnosed after suffering from a number of seizures and convulsions during his short life to date: "They have told friends the situation. While it's heartbreaking, he is being brave."

"They are devastated - worried sick about Romeo. He is on medication to control the seizures but obviously things like flashing lights can trigger one at any time."

"They can only hope the medication limits the number of fits he suffers to a minimum and he can enjoy as normal a life as possible. Epilepsy affects a great number of people and many grow out of it. They are just praying Romeo gets better."

Epilepsy affects approximately 50 million people worldwide and is usually controlled through anti-convulsant drugs. There are several different types of seizure, ranging from short absences (where the sufferer appears to just stare into space for the duration) to tonic-clonic seizures involving full body convulsions as muscles repeatedly severely contract and release.