'really difficult'
Christine McGuinness admits autistic children are ‘struggling’ in isolation and is worried about how long it will last
CHRISTINE McGuinness has admitted her autistic children are "struggling" in isolation and is "worried" about how long they'll have to stay inside.
The Real Housewives of Cheshire star is home-schooling Felicity, 4, and six-year-old twins Penelope and Leo, but they're finding it hard understanding the coronavirus crisis.
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"It's really, really difficult," Christine told ITV's This Morning in a live link today from the Cheshire home she shares with husband Paddy McGuinness.
"We're trying to keep it really positive and fun but at home it's been really difficult trying to explain to the children that we have to stay indoors and can't go out.
"We have spent years encouraging them to go to places, now we're telling them to stay in. They are really struggling.
"My daughter Penelope really struggles with anxiety as well as autism. She's already gone really quiet and I'm not getting as much eye contact as normal.
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"I am worried about what affect this is going to have if we're stuck in for another couple of months.
"But ultimately we've got to stay home to stay healthy and stay well."
Telling hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford how they've tried to explain the pandemic she said: "We told them everything is getting cleaned.
"I just tried to keep it really simple and pick out the important bits. I just said everything will be safe again and we'll be able to go back out but they're cleaning everything right now.
"We've got to be mindful the children are probably picking up on more than we want them to."
Like the rest of the country, Christine is now having to juggle work and staying at home to teach her kids.
She said: "We are trying to stick to a routine with normal eating times and some lessons. It's not going too well, but we're trying. We're doing a lot more."
But she's been left upset by panic-buyers who have raided supermarket shelves and potentially left her son without brown bread.
"My son Leo will only eat brown bread for his toast every morning," said Christine.
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"Once I run out of brown bread I haven't got any and I can't get any I've got six days to find brown bread so my son can have his breakfast because he won't have anything else."
She told Ruth and Eamonn: "You two are so inspirational, the amount of time you spend together, this is new for me. We never spend this amount of time together.
"We are doing alright, we have our moments but we're doing OK."
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