Comedian and presenter Paddy McGuiness 'sent messages to TV star' before splitting with wife Christine. The couple announced their 11 year marriage was over hours after posting about their Nottinghamshire holiday.
The pair had been together for 15 years and have three children together. The family were holidaying in Center Parcs Sherwood Forest and shared how much they were enjoying their break before announcing the news to the public.
The Mirror reports that the Top Gear host, 48, and his wife Christine, 34, had been separated for some time after she found messages between her husband and a TV star. The messages were reportedly found in March.
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While there is no suggestion the exchanges went beyond friendship, sources say Christine was upset after making the discovery. It's claimed that the pair decided to separate shortly afterwards - before making the news public this week.
"Paddy had been messaging the woman for some time," a source told the Mail on Sunday. "They were direct messages and were quite friendly. It's unclear how they met but they followed one another for a while.
"There had been various issues between him and Christine, but this was definitely one of the driving forces that began to make them assess their future as a married couple." Christine told The Sun on Sunday this month that her marriage was under strain and that she 'didn't cause the situation.'
"I will just say that I didn't cause this situation. You've got to expect it when you've been together for so long. Everyone grows and changes and we've grown as a family, which is amazing. That family bond will always be there no matter what," she added. Christine, a former Miss Liverpool, first met Paddy when she was 19 years-old in 2007.
The pair were engaged three years later after Paddy popped the question at Christmas and then tied the knot the following year in a star-studded ceremony, with comedian Peter Kay acting as best man. Paddy and Christine went on to have three children together, who have all been diagnosed with autism.
Last year, Christine told fans that she had been diagnosed with the same condition as an adult. "I got my diagnosis a few months ago. I have felt different my whole life. Honestly, I am relieved to finally understand myself," she told fans in November.
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Autism is a lifelong spectrum condition and having it means your brain works in a different way to other people, and it influences communication and social skills, and regulation of emotions. It all makes sense now. And as much as I’m not totally surprised, it’s still been emotional for me to accept, but it’s a relief as well," said Christine.
This week the influencer and her TV presenter husband issued a joint Instagram statement announcing their marriage was over. "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." Mirror Online has contacted reps for Paddy and Christine for comment.
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