beauty queen
Who is Paddy McGuinness’ ex-wife Christine?
Find out what Christine said about being diagnosed with autism at the age of 33
CHRISTINE McGuinness has transformed her life from beauty queen to beloved TV star and autism advocate.
Following her very public divorce from husband Paddy McGuinness, she has continued to go from strength-to-strength in her career. Here we take a look at her story in the spotlight so far.
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Christine Martin is an English model and television personality, who was born on March 10, 1988, in Liverpool.
She began her modelling career by entering various beauty pageants and was crowned Miss Liverpool in 2007.
This achievement opened doors for her in the entertainment industry.
Meeting Paddy McGuinness
It was not long after winning Miss Liverpool, that she met Paddy McGuinness on a night out in 2008.
The star, who was already a well-known comedian and television presenter, spotted Christine and approached her.
Their connection was instant, and they soon began dating.
The couple's relationship blossomed, and they went on to get married in June 2011.
Married with kids
Their family life soon became a focal point, and they welcomed three children together.
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Christine, who was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries, gave birth to Penelope and Leo in 2013.
Their youngest daughter, Felicity, was born in September 2016.
Becoming a TV star
Christine got her first taste of TV fame when she appeared alongside Paddy on shows including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and All Star Mr & Mrs.
Christine McGuinness addresses autism struggle as she exits Celeb MasterChef
However, she got her big break after joining the cast of The Real Housewives Of Cheshire from 2018 to 2020.
This then opened up the door to other TV shows, and she has since appeared on high profile programmes such as Loose Women, This Morning, and Good Morning Britain.
In 2021, Christine stripped off for The Real Full Monty, and the following year she took part in the sports competition The Games,
In 2024, she showed off her cooking skills on Celebrity MasterChef.
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Raising awareness for autism
In 2021, Christine was diagnosed with autism at the age of 33, along with her three children.
Together with her husband, she took part in the BBC doc, Paddy And Christine McGuinness: Our Family And Autism.
The powerful documentary highlighted the challenges and triumphs of their family life, offering viewers a deeper understanding of autism and its impact on families.
In 2023, Christine continued her advocacy work with the documentary Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism, which garnered critical acclaim.
My husband, arm-in-arm with another woman. I felt physically sick. I ran to the toilet to vomit
Christine McGuinness
Through these programmes, Christine has provided a voice for many families navigating similar experiences, breaking the stigma surrounding autism.
Christine also revealed she was diagnosed ADHD, and documented her journey to self-acceptance in her autobiography called A Beautiful Nightmare: My Story.
Marriage breakdown
Despite being seen as one of the golden couples in showbiz, fans were left shocked when Paddy and Christine announced their separation through an Instagram post in 2022.
In a joint statement signed off with a kiss, they said they aimed to be the "best parents they could be".
Before announcing their split, the couple had endured some ups-and-downs leading up to the break-up.
My husband, arm-in-arm with another woman. I felt physically sick. I ran to the toilet to vomit.
Christine McGuinness
Christine has since opened up about the devastating moment she discovered her husband Paddy was photographed with singer Nicole Appleton, revealing the 2018 pictures made her feel physically sick.
Writing in her book, she said: "My husband, arm-in-arm with another woman.
"I felt physically sick. I ran to the toilet to vomit.
"Still to this day I can remember that absolutely awful pit-of-your-stomach feeling.
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"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.
"It was a bit of a heartbroken moment. I was absolutely devastated by these pictures."
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A new chapter
Since their separation, Paddy and Christine have been dedicated to co-parenting their children.
The former couple continue to share a house after their split, with separate bedrooms.
They have emphasised the importance of maintaining a supportive environment for their kids, ensuring they feel secure and loved.
Christine continues to share glimpses of her life through social media and public appearances, and The Sun revealed how she is launching her own beauty empire called Goddess.
In October 2024, Christine's divorce from Paddy was finalised.
It was revealed that he would keep the family's £2.5million mansion, but Christine and the kids would continue living there.
The agreement means that family life will not be disrupted for their three children.
Christine and Paddy's split statement in full
In July 2022, Paddy and Christine revealed they had broken up.
They released this joint statement on Instagram:
"We hadn't planned on sharing this publicly until we were ready but after the lack of privacy surrounding our life personal life, we feel left with no other option but to clarify.
"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 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."
They added: "We hope this now draws a line under anymore unwanted 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."
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