I’m a psychologist – Christine McGuinness’s Instagram riddles show an important realisation about her life with Paddy

THEY'VE had one of the strongest showbiz marriages in recent years, but now it seems Christine and Paddy McGuinness have hit the rocks.

The pair have been spotted spending time apart, including separate holidays, and the former model this week claimed she "didn't put us in this situation" in a cryptic Instagram post.

Paddy, 48, has rocked their marriage in previous years and he left his wife, 34, feeling sick after photos of him holding hands with Nicole Appleton emerged in 2018.

Here, relationship psychologist Emma Kenny gives her verdict on the couple's recent struggles and how Christine's recent posts suggest she is beginning to put her own needs first.

Personal and private lives blurred

Christine and Paddy McGuinness have been in the spotlight together for over a decade, and understandably time takes its toll.

Public scrutiny is difficult to manage on a psychological level and when you have lived emotional parts of your life on social media, it means that the boundary between 'personal' and 'private' inevitably becomes blurred.

Whilst some may feel that sharing relationship ups and downs should be a private matter, for celebrities who have received a great deal of love and support from their cyber communities, it feels important.

As parents, Paddy and Christine have done a great deal to raise awareness around autism.

Their three children have this condition, and Christine herself was diagnosed as an adult when she was 33.

Research evidences that when you add any additional stressors into a relationship, you increase the potential for problems.

Paddy and Christine have had their fair share of these and this sadly means that their relationship has been tested.

'New and problematic' phase

From the social-media messages that Christine has shared, it appears that their marriage may be in crisis.

This week she left fans guessing after posting a late-evening Instagram message imploring them to "talk about trust before you talk about love".

Her comments - in particular the cryptic statement that makes it clear that she is not the issue in the marriage - point to a new and problematic phase in a once harmonious partnership.

For many years, Paddy and Christine have shared their most intimate marriage details with us. They have praised one another, and stood strong as they faced their trials and tribulations.

The public have been privy to their highs and lows, and inescapably have noticed the change in Christine’s tone.

It goes without saying that every relationship encounters problems, and every relationship is tested, but if trust is an issue, it can be hard to regain the status quo.

Christine 'prioritising own needs'

Whilst this could indeed point to a breakdown in Christine's relationship with Paddy, it could also symbolise a gradual sense of realisation that she needs to concentrate on her own needs.

Up until this point she has been taking care of everyone else, but her new friendships have encouraged her to see life from a new perspective, resulting in her wanting more on a personal level.

If Christine can acknowledge that she has a right to have her needs met, and if she and Paddy can continue to weather the storm, then their relationship could grow in trust and resilience.

Marriage is a tough gig, and there will be moments in every successful relationship where each partner questions their feelings, and their relationship in general. This is normal, because a great relationship survives in spite of conflict.

Christine appears to be growing, changing and building in her personal resilience, and although this can be a painful process, it is also a liberating one.

She is making new friends, travelling without Paddy to new places and sharing her individual journey, and whilst this may signal a change, or end in her marriage, it may also symbolise a progressive and resilient stage in her life.