Paddy McGuinness and his wife Christine announced their separation in July 2022, after a family holiday that was seen as a last-ditch effort to save their marriage.
The couple, who were married for 11 years and have three children with autism, have continued to live together and co-parent their kids, Penelope, Felicity and Leo. Despite their split, Paddy and Christine seem to be on good terms, often sharing lovely family photos from their home in Cheshire. While Christine has been open about life post-Paddy, it took the Top Gear host nine months to talk about their separation.
In April 2023, Paddy spoke for the first time about feeling homesick while away from Christine and their kids. The 50 year old Top Gear star said he never stays away from home for more than nine days because he misses it too much. “I think naturally you get homesick,” he told The Sun.
READ MORE: Mystery death of adult star Sophia Leone now investigated as ‘suspicious and unique’
(Image: Daily Record)
The telly star also said that he makes sure his phone is always with him when he’s away so he can chat with his kids. Christine and Paddy have decided to keep living together for their children and they talk a lot about how they look after their kids together, reports the Mirror.
Christine once said: “We’re not actually like any other family I know. I love the way we are, I try not to compare myself to any other family because we’re actually not like any other family that I know. I’m comfortable and I embrace our family the way we are, and I love our differences. Each and every family is unique anyway but ours is just one that I’ve never seen on any social media platform before and I’m quite proud of that.”
When Paddy and Christine decided to split up, they told everyone in a message together: “We hadn’t planned on sharing this publicly until we were ready but the lack of privacy surrounding our personal life, we feel left with no other option but to clarify.”
(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
“A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus was as always is to continue loving and supporting our children. This was not an easy decision to make but we’re moving forward as the best parents we can be for our three beautiful children. We’ll always be a loving family, we still have a great relationship and still live happily in our family home together.”
The joint statement added: “We hope this now draws a line under anymore unwanted and unnecessary intrusion into our private life. Although we work in the public eye we ask kindly if you could respect our wishes for privacy on this matter. We’ll be making no further comment.”
Paddy has hinted that his split from Christine might not be final. He shared that although they don’t share a bed, they still love each other loads. “There’s no toxicity in the house, says it all really,” he told us. Paddy also said: “We have separate bedrooms because we respect that we aren’t together anymore but, whether we work it through or we don’t, what we do have is a really, really lovely family unit at home. We both love each other.”
(Image: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
He told The Sun: “We still hug, and we’re still messaging and phoning each other every day, we’re just not jumping into bed together any more.” He said their home is full of fun and love, not fights, even after they split up. And he said: “I don’t think either of us are in a rush to get a divorce.”
Paddy also mentioned he’s not keen to date new people or join dating apps like Hinge or Tinder. Paddy’s words came just a few weeks after Christine herself confessed that not much had changed for her and her soon-to-be ex-husband since their surprising split announcement.
In an earlier chat, she shared that they were still living together in their family home for the sake of Leo, Penelope and Felicity: “It’s the one thing that we completely agree on the children’s needs come first. We don’t want them to be affected by anything. Patrick’s diary is busy, as it always is, so he very much dips in and out of the home, because he’s working away a lot.”
These comments came amidst rumours that the couple were preparing for a costly divorce case. One story suggested that Christine hoped to keep living in the £4million family mansion. Lawyer Catherine Bedford, 52, who helped Ant McPartlin’s ex-wife Lisa Armstrong with their divorce settlement, was reportedly set to represent Christine. Ms Bedford was previously called a ‘Pitbull attorney’ in American media.
(Image: Instagram)
Just days after divorce stories popped up online, Paddy and Christine gave fans hope that they were still friends as they posted a sweet picture together leading up to Valentine’s Day. They uploaded a photo of their feet touching while they relaxed and watched TV – with Paddy writing: “Strong high arch game in our house but there can be only one! Who takes the crown and the Pes Cavus bragging rights? Mum or Dad? School boy error leaving my socks on.”
The photo drew lots of positive comments from fans who celebrated their relationship. One comment read: “You both have such a lovely relationship regardless of whether it is just as parents or as husband and wife which is no one else’s business. But credit to both of you for ensuring the children are not caught between either parent but is both of your priorities. you are a lovely family.”
Another fan said: “You two are such an amazing example for your children. Whatever you do, kids come first and you two are freaking winning,” Yet another wrote: “Lovely to see the two of you still sharing moments like this. You are both amazing and such good parents to your beautiful children.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
