Paddy McGuinness, 48, and his wife Christine, 34, have announced their split in a statement on Instagram. The couple, who had been together for 15 years and married for 11, revealed they will continue living together in their family home.
They have three children together, twins Penelope, and Leo, eight, and Felicity, six. All three of the children have autism, and Christine was subsequently diagnosed with the condition.
Their breakup comes five months after the couple released their first podcast, Table Talk, together, which discusses the realities families with seriously ill or disabled children face. And in December 2021, the couple spoke openly about life with autism in the BBC documentary, Our Family And Autism.
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Announcing the split, the couple shared a joint statement on their Instagram accounts. "We hadn’t planned on sharing this publicly until we were ready but after the lack of privacy surrounding our personal life, we feel left with no other option but to clarify," they said.
"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’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. We hope this now draws a line under any more 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 comments. Loads of love. Paddy & Christine."
When did Paddy and Christine McGuiness meet?
The pair met for the first time after they were introduced by a mutual friend back in 2007. They were engaged three years later in 2010 after Paddy got down on one knee during their Christmas celebrations.
When did Paddy and Christine McGuiness get married?
Just a year after their engagement, the loved-up couple tied in the knot during a lavish ceremony at Thornton Manor in Cheshire in 2011. The celebration featured Peter Kay as best man and included performances from Rick Astley in front of 200 guests.
Do Paddy and Christine McGuiness have children?
Shortly after getting married, Paddy and Christine announced the happy news that they were expecting. In 2013, they welcomed twins Leo and Penelope, who are now nine years old and in 2016, Christine gave birth to her and Paddy’s third child, Felicity, who is now six.
All three of Christine and Paddy’s children are autistic. The couple has been open about their journey as a family, both on their podcast and in a documentary.
Paddy previously described the early days of pre-diagnosis as ‘really tough’, saying they hardly let anyone else inside their home. The Top Gear presenter himself admitted he struggled with depression, and Christine later discovered that she too is autistic.
Why have Paddy and Christine McGuiness split up?
The couple have not confirmed why they split up. However rumours emerged in 2018 after Paddy was pictured arm-in-arm with former All Saints singer Nicole Appleton. Christine spoke about the couple's "difficult" marriage shortly after the images of Paddy and Nicole, 47, who were spotted in London's Soho, were made public.
She later wrote in her autobiography, My Lifey, how "devastated" she was when she saw the photographs. "I felt physically sick," she wrote.
"I ran to the toilet to vomit. Still to this day, I can remember that absolutely awful pit-of-your-stomach feeling."
Further rumours began circulating earlier this year when it appeared that Paddy had a tattoo dedicated to his wife removed. Fans noticed that their wedding anniversary in June had not been acknowledged by either and that the last photo posted of them both was back in February as they celebrated the release of their podcast.
Prior to confirming the rumours, Paddy shared an image yesterday with his wife during their family holiday. Passport issues for their daughter meant their planned week in Spain had to be swapped for a week of activities in Centre Parcs.
Paddy gushed about the amazing time his children had during the fun break, including indoor climbing. The pair will continue living in the same family home as their children despite the decision to split.
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