Doting mum Christine McGuinness has opened up about how she helped her eldest daughter after she struggled to leave her bedroom. Model and TV star Christine shared a moving Instagram post with fans to tell how she became worried for nine-year-old Penelope, who 'enjoys her own space and company.'
Christine has previously opened up about her journey with Penelope and her twin Leo and their younger sibling Felicity, five, who all have autism, a neurodevelopmental condition that can cause repetitive and restrictive behaviour. In December she and Top Gear host husband Paddy left viewers in tears with their emotional documentary Our Family and Autism which aired on BBC One.
Christine, who revealed last year that she had also been diagnosed with autism at the age of 33, posted a sweet video showing her childen joyfully playing together as they held a 'Pokemon Picnic' with their collection of Pokemon toys in the garden. And their pet cat also joined in the fun.
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"So precious," wrote former The Real Housewives of Cheshire star Christine. "I’ve struggled to get Penelope out of her bedroom recently, she is the sweetest girl who really enjoys her own space and company.
"Allowing her that quiet time alone and making sure she doesn’t isolate herself is a fine line. With the summer holidays almost over, I’m worried she might need time to settle back into school routine."
She explained: "Using her love for @pokemon and with support from Leo and Felicity, Penelope joined us outside for a ‘Pokemon picnic’ and she loved it. I’m so grateful they have each other. And I get to love them."
Ot.by.the.sea applauded: "What a great idea." eve_happy1 said: "Family time is the best. Happy times." gemkerrison wrote: "Thats so lovely." mrsmoppup praised: Bless you and the children xx You are an amazing mom xx" And capt_alex_horoble said: "Brilliant."
In July Christine and Paddy sadly announced that they had separated after 11 years of marriage. At the weekend in a catch-up with her followers on Instagram she invited fans to 'ask me a question.' And one follower asked: "How's Christine doing? The real Christine?"
She replied to say 'a bit' with a stream of emojis to represent various emotions, including an upside down face, crying laughing, mind blown, love heart eyes, pleading sad eyes and a mouth zipped shut. Alongside a photo of her children she wrote: "I've been better, I've been worse ... I count my blessings and smile every day for these three."
The couple announced their split in a joint statement last month: "We hadn't planned on sharing this publicly until we were ready but after the lack of privacy surrounding our life personal life, we feel left with no other option but to clarify. A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus as always is to continue loving and supporting our children.
"This was not an easy decision to make but we are 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."
They continued: "We hope this now draws a line under anymore unwanted intrusion into our our private life. Although we work in the public eye we ask kindly if you could respect our wishes for privacy on this matter." They then concluded: "We'll be making no further comments."
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