Paddy McGuinness has given a rare insight into the challenge he has getting his kids to eat breakfast.
The 48-year-old funnyman shares three children with wife Christine McGuinness - twins Leo and Penelope, eight, and five-year-old Felicity - and spoke about the family's daily routine.
The couple recently launched a new podcast, Table Talk With Paddy And Christine, and in their latest episode, they discussed how “difficult” it was to get their three kids to eat breakfast before they were diagnosed with autism.
“I couldn't get the kids to eat anything. I'd be stressed out thinking, ‘If the teachers find out they've not had any breakfast!’,” Paddy explained.
“I'd be worried they'd be looking at me, going, ‘Oh, God, they are sending them out with no breakfast, this is just a bad parent,’” he added.
Paddy said the kids love fries and oven chips, as well as chicken nuggets and fish fingers, and revealed they had to cut their food in a particular way otherwise the children would not eat it.
Christine said they still have to be aware of the sensory aspects of food and autism, and have to separate food, as well as avoiding “wet” meals such as lasagna, as the kids will refuse it.
Announcing their podcast, Paddy and Christine said they were working in conjunction with McCain and charity Family Fund to try and raise better awareness for families raising a disabled or seriously ill child.
Christine, who was also recently diagnosed with autism, said she wished there was a podcast dedicated to families coping with additional needs when she and Paddy were trying to understand the kids’ diagnosis.
“It’s been really inspiring to listen to the stories and hear about the everyday lives of families raising children with additional needs and how Family Fund makes a difference in their lives. We really hope people listen and get involved,” she said.
In the first episode of the podcast, the couple admitted they had not told twins Leo and Penelope that they have been diagnosed with autism.
“Our eldest children are both eight, and we've not mentioned it to them yet. Not for any other reason - but we just feel as though they are happy as they are at the minute,” Paddy shared.
“It might be a bit much for them, so we are kind of picking our moment with them.”
Christine said the twins were non-verbal when they were having the initial assessments for autism, so they were unable to tell them what was going on.
“I don't know if there is a right time,” she confessed.
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