Christine McGuinness Embraces Bold New Chapter

She was probably best known as ' wife until the couple hit headlines with their public split in 2022 following their 11-year marriage. 

The Blackpool born Miss Liverpool model was often snapped on red carpets with her husband, however it has only really been since their split that Christine has stepped into the spotlight in her own right. 

From going public with her autism and diagnoses aged 33, the star, now 35, has gained a following of her own and boasts 720,000 Instagram followers. 

From a stay at home mum who was a recluse for eight years, Christine has reinvented herself, championing who she is and also getting incredibly candid about her sexuality. 

While she and Paddy still live together for the sake of their children, the mother-of-three explained she lives somewhat of a double life, where when she is home she is looking after the children, but then when she comes to London she steps off the trains and 'I can work, have fun, I can sleep in and I don't need to worry about everything.' 

This week the star got very candid about her dating life as she revealed she has exclusively dated women since her divorce from Paddy and feels like she is moving forward with life in a completely new way. 

She explained: 'I didn't intentionally go, "Okay, that's it. Now I'm off to women." But that's kind of what I've done. 

'We split. We divorced and then I've just enjoyed the women and I absolutely fully love it and can't get enough. I love that. I've enjoyed the women.

'I love it for me and and I'm happy that it's kind of like not like a second chance or anything. It's a completely different move forward with life and that's where I'm ready. That's where I'm at.'

Christine and Paddy first met through a mutual friend in 2007. At the time, Christine had just modelled in a fashion show at the Liverpool Tennis Tournament, while Paddy was focusing on his career as a TV presenter.

She was crowned Miss Liverpool in 2007 and after two years of dating the presenter popped the question in December 2009. 

In June 2011 the pair tied the knot at Thornton Manor in Cheshire in front of 200 guests in June 2011. Peter Kay was Paddy's best man.

They welcomed a set of twins Leo and Penelope, their first children together, in 2013. At the age of four the kids were both diagnosed with autism.

Their second daughter Felicity was born in 2016, she too was diagnosed with the disorder.

For the majority of their marriage, it seemed Paddy was the main star, working on multiple high profile TV shows including Top Gear and Take Me Out. 

Back in 2019, Christine opened up about feeling like a 'single parent' as Paddy kept up with his busy work schedule.

Speaking to The Mirror, she described how she was left to steer the ship at home and look after the kids alone, as she explained: 'I would be lying if I said it’s great. It’s not, it’s really tough.

'At the moment I barely see him. It is getting to the point now where I feel it is overwhelming and too much.

'I feel like a single parent at times. I keep thinking it will quieten down soon but actually I don’t think it will.

'I think work will be good for Paddy and he’s going to be very, very busy and so I don’t know what we’re going to do.'

After a few TV appearances herself on a number of TV shows, including Loose Women, This Morning and The Real Housewives Of Cheshire, since the pair's split Christine has stepped into the spotlight in her own right. 

Following her children's autism diagnoses, at 33 years old the star was also diagnosed with the disorder as well as ADHD. 

This led her to front her own documentary, Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism as she gave a voice to the thousands of autistic women who, like her, had been ignored by science and society. 

Speaking in 2024 on the Boots podcast alongside Vogue Williams and Tommy Mallet she admitted she was a recluse for eight years as she struggled with the disorder. 

Christine candidly explained: 'I don't want them to live the life that I did. I was a recluse for nearly eight years, I barely left the house and if I was going to go to the shop I'd go at 2 or 3 in the morning.

'I'm not great at keeping friendships. Not because I'm not nice, people get on with me and I and I like everyone, but then trying to actually build a friendship I would struggle with the social side of things.

'I wouldn't be going out, I wouldn't be going on girls holidays and I wouldn't be going for meals and things so I could never keep up with the friendship side of things.'

Going into detail about how her ADHD presents, she explained in 2023: 'For me, I didn't understand how I could be ADHD, because again, you Google or you see people, and you have this image of what you think ADHD is going to be like, and I didn't fit in that bracket.

She continued: 'I'm an inattentive ADHD, which is different to the typical hyperactive ADHD person that you might see and recognise more often. So, for me, when I'm inattentive, I can be quite distant, I live in my own little bubble.

'It goes quite naturally with my autism, it overlaps and it's quite similar, but then I have moments where I am extremely hyperactive in my thoughts, in the creative side, in my feelings, in my emotions.

'I will be extremely hyper emotional if I'm sad: it can be the end of the world, to the point where I think, I can't cope, I can't do this anymore, even having suicidal thoughts.

'It can go that far, and that's where the hyper side is for me. On the plus side, if I'm happy, it's the best thing in the world, and nothing can ruin your day, and it can be from the tiniest little thing.'

Christine has also written two children's picture books which celebrate neurodiversity, friendship and inclusivity.  

Aside from her autism, Christine has also been incredibly open about her sexuality and her choice to date women. 

While the star prefers not to label her sexuality, she previously told Elizabeth Day on her podcast How To Fail: 'I've always been quite a free spirit. I think that's the only word I would put on it. 

'When I was a teenager, I'd dated boys and girls. 14/15 was probably when I had my first kisses with, with both, and I never felt it was anything different or a big deal.

'Then I think where I grew up, everyone was kind of just there for a good time.'

Christine explained that before Paddy she did date women and her longest relationship latest around two years.

Last year she was all set to appear on Channel 4's Celebs Go Dating, but quit the show to 'go home to her children' after saying public dating was 'too soon' following her divorce. 

She said at the time: 'But as much as I am very, very comfortable talking about my sexuality and being me, and I know that I want to continue dating women, I've found that outside attention far too much.

'And I've found myself feeling like I'm hiding more. And I don't want that. That's not what I want.'

And now, in her most candid chat yet, Christine appeared on the It Started With A Kiss podcast as she revealed that since her split from Paddy she has exclusively dated women. 

In the sex positive candid chat, Christine branded herself a 'five star lesbian' and shared that she is attracted to a masculine woman and during intimacy she prefers to be the dominant one. 

She confessed: 'I just like to make sure that they know that I'm not just here to lie down. I'm here to eat. I'm hungry.'

She told queer icons Amy Spalding and Gareth Valentino: 'I would love to have a wife one day, not like a legalised marriage, but like a blessing, a celebration of love and all of that, I would love to just be saying, "this is my wife.”'

'[The double life] is ideal for me, because I don't want to bring somebody into my personal life too quick. I like the separate life. My family, my kids, my home is up there and then I come to London, step off that train, I can work, have fun, I can sleep in and I don't need to worry about everything.' 

Admitting she isn't set on being in a serious relationship just yet she added: 'I'm just seeing how things go and just figuring out. I'm trying to not plan too far ahead.

'I think with me, I can panic and I can pause if I think of the future too much. So I'm just trying to enjoy now. Enjoy the moment.'

No longer a recluse, Christine appears to have a full social life as she explained: 'I tend to just meet people out and about like at events and stuff. I'm quite lucky that I'm mixing in circles with you know a lot of gay, bi and pans [pansexual].'

The star also admitted that while she wouldn't do Only Fans, she does Subs, which is a similar subscription based service that gives her fans exclusive content. 

She confirmed: 'It's not like adult content. I don't do adult content. It's like sensual. It's like lingerie or it might be experiences. 

'So, one of the things was Shibari.

Shibari is an art form using rope to create intricate patterns on the body, emphasizing trust, communication, and emotional connection between partners.

She said: 'It’s only more recently I’m thinking, okay, now this is great and I love this, but I’m also very self-aware and I think I’m loving a bit of a power trip here. Now, I’m never going to be a pillow princess but I absolutely love to receive as well.'

Talking further about Shibari, she said: 'Yes! It’s so good! I was doing it, it wasn't really about like to be sexual, it was more about the feeling of letting go, allowing yourself to be vulnerable.

'So this was part of me getting to know myself after my divorce and then dating women and realising that with women that I quite liked wanting to be more dominant and wanting to be in control.

'So that’s why I went to Shibari because the tying-up part is to see if you’re happy to be vulnerable and let go. Let somebody else tie you up. It’s not that they’re going to do anything. It’s more for you to be… are you okay with it?

'And you sort of by the end of it, you’ll know if you’re the one who wants to do everything or you’re the one who doesn't.

'And there’s no right or wrong. But for me it was pretty like 50/50. I want to do both… I want to tie you up and I want you to tie me up. I want both. That’s what I’m learning.'