Inside Paddy and ‘miserable’ Christine McGuinness’s shock split and how they kept it secret for weeks
PADDY and Christine McGuinness yesterday announced their marriage was over — and had been for a month.
Top Gear’s Paddy, 48, wanted to appear “united” for their children. But a source said of Christine, 34: “She couldn’t keep it up.”
Christine McGuinness pushed to go public on her split with husband Paddy because keeping it secret left her miserable, The Sun can reveal.
The couple, who have been rocked by cheating allegations, yesterday announced they had ended their 11-year marriage.
However we can reveal that the pair actually decided to separate at the start of June — but kept it quiet.
Pals close to The Games star Christine, said she had pushed for the split and wanted to be open about their break-up. But 48-year-old Top Gear co-host Paddy insisted they keep a “united front”.
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A source said: “Christine and Paddy spent weeks of hiding it – but she couldn’t keep it up. She was in the driving seat when it came to finally ending their marriage.”
The source added of the couple, who have three young children: “Christine and Paddy ended their marriage early in June. She made it very clear to those close to her that it was over. Paddy, however, wanted to put on a united front.
“He wanted to control the narrative and Christine felt like she had no option but to go along with it.
"But in the last week she said they couldn’t carry on and pushed for them to go public. She has had enough of putting on a brave face.”
Christine confirmed they had separated in an Instagram post yesterday — days after The Sun revealed how Paddy had been accused of kissing a television star behind her back.
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In a joint statement the couple, whose children all live with autism, said they wanted to “clarify” speculation about their private life.
It continued: “A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus as always is to continue loving 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.”
It came hours after Paddy raved about a holiday he enjoyed at Center Parcs in Nottingham with Christine plus their eight-year-old twins and daughter, five.
The insider added: “Christine is devoted to her children and her only concern at this time is making sure they are protected.
"Both Christine and Paddy always put the children first and they don’t want them to experience any upheaval or stress.
'Both focused on the kids'
“They went on a family holiday and, while they weren’t together, they made sure it was very special for the children. It is a new road for them to navigate but they are both focused on the kids.”
Earlier this month Christine opened up about the couple’s relationship difficulties in a highly candid interview with The Sun on Sunday’s Fabulous Magazine.
When asked about their marriage, Christine hinted at infidelity and told how she and Paddy had grown up a lot since they first got together in 2007.
Christine said: “What I might have put up with in the past, I probably wouldn’t put up with now, and the same for him.”
She added: “I can’t deny we are having a very, very difficult time. It’s just — we’ve been together 15 years, 11 years married; we are going to have ups and downs.
“But this situation at the minute, I don’t want to go into it too much but I will just say that I didn’t cause this situation.”
In a cryptic Instagram post, Christine also appeared to lay the blame at Paddy’s door. She posted a quote which read: “This year I met the most broken version of me, but also the strongest.”
Christine wrote alongside it: “There is only one thing I want to make clear right now. I didn’t put us in this situation.”
This year I met the most broken version of me, but also the strongest.
Christine McGuinness
The Sun later revealed how Christine was left “very hurt and upset” after being told of Paddy’s alleged infidelity, which followed a TV appearance.
Christine, who was also diagnosed with autism after her children, was informed about the apparent kiss by concerned crew members while she was starring on Channel 4’s The Games in May.
A source said of the claims: “Everyone was talking about it. The crew all knew about the Paddy rumours, and there they were, now working really closely with Christine.
“It was one of those shows where everyone bonded and everyone loved Christine.
"Paddy wasn’t around at all during The Games and the more people got to know Christine, the more they felt she deserved to know what he’d been up to.
“A number of them told Christine about the kiss and that he’d been unfaithful. She was very hurt and upset.”
Christine has also previously discussed how autism has affected her relationship with Paddy. She said: “We just don’t have quality time. We’ve just accepted that’s how it is.
"We are carers. My husband works a lot. He’s on Top Gear now so he’s flying all over the world.”
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The couple went to Center Parcs after a planned holiday to Spain had to be scrapped at the last minute as their daughter’s passport had expired.
Paddy said they still had a great time but added: “We’re home now to our own beds, which no holiday can ever beat!”
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PADDY and Christine McGuinness’s marriage has come under strain before the recent issues.
Christine revealed she vomited after seeing pictures of Paddy and his ex Nicole Appleton arm-in-arm on a night out in London in 2018.
At the time, Christine had no idea that her husband had rekindled his friendship with the All Saints singer.
She wrote in her autobiography, A Beautiful Nightmare: “I rang him that morning before I’d read too much about it. He didn’t answer, which is really unusual for him and in hindsight I think he regrets not picking up the phone. It quickly dawned on me the reason he’d decided to stay down in London.”
Christine, who first met Paddy in 2007 when she was modelling in Liverpool, added: “It was a bit of a heartbroken moment. I was absolutely devastated.”
She later said the pair had never properly spoken about it because she wanted to keep their family together for the sake of the children.
She went on: “I had to brush it under the carpet. I haven’t mentioned it since. We’ve never spoken about it really, and I’ve certainly never talked about it publicly.”
Earlier this month Christine, who discussed her marital crisis with The Sun on Sunday, was seen looking doleful as she sat in a car with Paddy in Macclesfield.