Christine McGuinness has said she “didn’t realise” how sad and lonely she was until she split from her ex-husband Paddy McGuinness after 11 years of marriage

Christine McGuinness has opened up about a poignant realisation following her split from former husband Paddy. The pair went their separate ways in 2022, after 11 years of marriage which began with a lavish Cheshire wedding.

Despite their separation, Christine and Paddy still share the family home, a decision they’ve made to ensure stability for their three children – twins Penelope and Leo, 11, and Felicity, eight – who are all on the autism spectrum. Christine herself was diagnosed with autism while working on the documentary ‘Our Family and Autism’ in 2021, which delved into the lives of families with autistic children.

During her time with the ex-‘Take Me Out’ presenter, Christine admits to living almost like a recluse. In her memoir ‘A Beautiful Nightmare’, she reveals that she didn’t even have a hen party because she “didn’t have any friends”.

Post-separation, she confessed to The Times that life had always been intertwined with Paddy’s presence, but she has since recognised that her previous lifestyle may have caused her to miss out on new experiences. She shared with the newspaper: “Those years that I missed out on friendships, I thought I was fine. I didn’t realise how sad and lonely I was. It’s only recently, as I’ve been doing more, I’m like, ‘Wow, there’s a whole life to live out there that I didn’t know existed’ because I very much stayed at home.”

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Christine has confessed that the unknown is “really scary” to her, even admitting that it’s “scary not knowing what life’s going to bring,” which she believes is a common feeling among autistic women. She’s one of the celebs taking part in Celebrity Hunted, where they’ll be on the run for 14 days trying to outsmart security experts, all in aid of Stand Up to Cancer, reports the Liverpool Echo.

The reality star recently opened up on the unique Christmas plans she shared with her ex-husband despite the divorce.

“The last thing we want to do is upset our children over Christmas, so we’ll make sure we’re all together,” she told Woman’s Own. “It will be a quiet one. We always try to keep it quiet, because the children can get quite overwhelmed with the changes. So we try to keep it like a normal day but with presents.”

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PA)“If someone didn’t know our situation and came to our house and they spent the day with us, they would not have a clue [we were not together],” Paddy told the Mirror in April. “We get on well, we live together and co-parent. We get the lawyers back and forth but that’s separate – that’s a different thing.”

The ex-Real Housewives of Cheshire star teams up with crooner Duncan James, while Strictly’s Kai Widdrington joins forces with Giovanni Pernice, while Loose Women star Denise Welch teams up with husband Lincoln Townley.

star Denise Welch will be on the lam with hubby Lincoln Townley. It kicks off tonight (Sunday, January 5) at 9pm.