Paddy and Christine McGuinness split after 11 years of marriage, but decide to live in same house for children
Paddy and Christine McGuinness had been married for around 11 years until they posted a joint statement via their respective Instagram accounts mentioning that they had separated a "while back" on Friday, July 22. The two continue to live together with their three children—twins Penelope and Leo, 9, and Felicity, 6, in their family home. All their three children are autistic, and the former couple decided to prioritize them by sticking together for them even after their split.
People had been getting the feelers about their relationship since they had stopped posting pictures with each other and had not celebrated their anniversary this year. Only recently, just hours before announcing their split, on July 22, did Paddy post a picture of the two enjoying a family vacation. The post entailed all details about this getaway and how they planned to go to Spain initially.
READ MORE
Paddy McGuinness praises his wife amid rumors that their marriage is hanging by the thread
Previously, Christine had given hints about their rocky relationship and how she wanted Paddy to spend more time with her. "There have been occasions when I've waved him off as he left for work, and then I've gone back inside and cried, wishing he would just stay in," she remarked. Paddy, too, in his memoir, wrote in a chapter about their marriage that the two were opposites "with no similar interests."
Paddy Mcguinness, best known for his stints as a 'Top Gear' and 'Question of Sport' host, married Christine Martin on June 4, 2011. They met when Christine was modelling at a fashion show at the Liverpool Tennis Tournament. Christine, who is autistic as well, described the troubles she faced when she was a kid and grew up with a tiny circle of friends. "In my 20s, I spent about eight years of just remaining inside and avoiding any contact with anyone besides my husband," she added.
The couple had also spoken about the challenges they faced while raising their kids in their podcast 'Table Talk' around four months back. They also featured in the BBC special 'Our Family and Autism', where Paddy revealed how he thought his children would never understand the amount of love the two have for them. Christine mentioned, "Patrick has been concerned for years that the children would not feel loved, or they don't understand it."
While it is still unclear why the two took different paths, they felt it was necessary to tell their fans about their relationship. The entire statement that they posted read: "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 anymore 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 comment. Loads of love. Paddy & Christine," the statement ended.
The couple asked all their fans not to cause any further encroachment into their personal lives and signed the note off together.