Christine McGuinness has described her divorce from husband Paddy McGuinness as a difficult and challenging time following their 2022 separation after 11 years of marriage.
The couple continue to live together in their family home while co-parenting their three children, with Christine calling their amicable living arrangement a blessing. Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, she confessed that she struggled during the breakdown of the relationship.
"Divorce is scary and it was scary for me, obviously, I've never done a divorce before! It's an awful time," Christine said. "But as much as it was challenging and difficult, a lot of the thoughts and feelings were really from listening to other people's stories. Obviously, you hear about divorce, you instantly think negativity, heartbreak and a broken family or whatever, you don't hear about other families that continue to share their home."
Co-parenting and Family Routines
The couple's 11-year-old twins, Penelope and Leo, and eight-year-old daughter, Felicity, all have autism. Christine and Paddy chose to remain living together in the family home so as not to disrupt their daily routines.
"A lot of families that have got children with special educational needs choose to do it this way," Christine explained. "Maybe they don't talk about it so much, but they're the ones who really get it and understand it." She added, "I actually do think it is a blessing, the way we work co-parenting."
Christine emphasized that prioritizing their children was their plan from the start. "It was always a decision from the beginning that no matter what, between me and Patrick, our priority is always the children, and that's how we've kept it, fortunately," she said.
She added that neither of them is in a rush to sell their house. "We're lucky that we genuinely get on so well. We're not in a rush to sell the house. We don't want to be putting the kids in mummy's house and then in daddy's house, and our work's not in a routine and our children thrive on routine," Christine shared. "They love the home, and in my head it's the children's home for them to grow up in. I'm not in a rush for that to change, to be honest. I'd love my own little flat somewhere, but this is my home."
Dating and Personal Independence
Following the breakdown of her marriage, Christine has been open about dating women, but she stressed that she would never bring a date back to the home she shares with Paddy.
"I would never do that," Christine insisted. "Like I said, this is the family home, and then Paddy and I have our lives outside. But we never did have many visitors to the house, even when we were married. We don't introduce the children to just anybody. So certainly when it comes to dating, anything like that is going to take a very, very long time, like years, years and years."
Since her split from Paddy, Christine has been linked to footballer Chelcee Grimes, DJ Roxxxan, and boxer Nicola Adams, though she insisted she is in no hurry to settle down.
"I think being on your own is something that should be embraced more," Christine explained. "If you can be okay with sitting in silence and going to bed alone, cooking for yourself, you're giving yourself a different kind of independence. And then you're ok no matter what happens in your future, whether you're walking away from a relationship or a job or whatever."
Reflecting on her perspective after the split, Christine noted, "For me, one of the best things that came post-divorce, and it took a while, was just knowing that I'm going to be all right. That I'll be okay. I will laugh again, I will have fun again, I will love again, I will do all of those things again."
She added, "Because I think when you separate from a person that you've created a family with, if you can do that and then you can continue to laugh on your own and together, I don't think there's anything else in my future that I would struggle to walk away from like that again. I always know that no matter what, nothing's ever going to be as difficult as those conversations about my family and my marriage and my children. That was one of the hardest things I've ever been through."
Christine shared that navigating the breakup gave her lasting confidence. "So that has given me some comfort in that if I do date again or do have a relationship and if it doesn't work out, I always know I'm going to be all right because I walked away from my children's father and we still laugh together and still holidays together and it's okay," she said.
Sensory-Friendly Lingerie Campaign
Christine spoke about her divorce while launching a new campaign for Being Wear, a sensory-friendly lingerie line designed with neurodivergent people in mind.
The TV personality modelled the range and explained that the cause is personal to her. "As someone who is autistic myself and a mum to three autistic children, I know how much comfort in clothing affects your everyday life," Christine shared. "A seam, a tag, a waistband that sits wrong, these things matter more than people realise. Being Wear has built something that works for bodies and minds like ours. I'm proud to help bring it to the UK, where I know so many families have been waiting for exactly this."
Further information about the inclusive range is available at beingwear.com.
