She looked the picture of freedom. Dancing seductively with a javelin, Christine McGuinness – now ex-wife of TV star Paddy – was clearly revelling in the liberation of taking part in ITV reality show The Games.

Christine’s play-acting for the cameras took place at the athletic track at the National Sports Centre in Crystal Palace in May 2022, where the giggling mother-of-three was surrounded by her new co-stars on the programme.

The show was hosted by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff, and as the camera panned away from Christine it moved to Freddie who was, at the time, a close friend and Top Gear co-star of her then husband Paddy.

Mimicking Paddy’s famous comedy catchphrase, Freddie said to camera: ‘I’m not sure if Paddy’s going to like it – no likey.’

Christine’s friends watching at home were furious at the seemingly innocent comic aside. They strongly suspected what Freddie was referring to: Paddy’s bad moods at his wife’s behaviour.

They tell me he was less than pleased that she took part in The Games – shot in London – because it meant she would be 250 miles away from their home in Cheshire.

Other sources claim Paddy was also irritated by Christine’s close friendship with female singer Chelcee Grimes, who eventually won the show.

It seems Paddy, 51, did not support his wife on social media while she took part, which invited viewers to wonder why he hadn’t posted any words of encouragement.

Sources have told Katie Hind that Paddy McGuinness was less than pleased when his wife, Christine (pictured), took part in reality sports game show The Games

Five months later, after 11 years of marriage, they announced their split. And three years on they are divorced.

But last week there was renewed concern among Christine’s friends about the influence Paddy still exerts over her.

On Thursday it was announced that she’s quit the Channel 4 dating show Celebs Go Dating – just three days after gleefully arriving in Ibiza for the start of filming.

It gave an eerie sense of deja vu to those close to her who suspected Paddy was unsure about her appearance on the show.

Despite the divorce in October, they still live together, co-parenting their three children.

In a statement, Christine, 37, said: ‘I joined Celebs Go Dating with great intentions but have realised the attention it brings is too soon for me. I’m going home to my family.’

Sources close to the show say she was overwhelmed with the attention on her love life, following reports she was to date a woman.

Christine’s friends got in touch with me when the news broke, sharing not only their sadness but their suspicions about Paddy’s hand.

Christine and Paddy announced their split soon after she appeared in the series. Pictured: The couple in 2019

The show, after all, would have been a difficult watch for Paddy, and not only because she would be seen dating other people. The show involves a counselling session in which she would likely open up about past relationships, including their marriage.

Could her appearance have been a contravention of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Paddy? Though he has always denied the existence of such a legally binding document, her pals think so.

One of Christine’s fiercely loyal friends insisted: ‘Can you imagine if Christine went on a date with a woman? He would be furious! He would be mortified, and ripped apart by his silly friends. Then there’s the matter of him not wanting Christine to talk about their marriage in any detail.

The show would have been a difficult watch for Paddy – partly because Christine would be seen dating other people

‘That’s why there is talk of an NDA which, yes, Paddy has repeatedly denied – but the fact is that the show would require her to discuss the ins and outs.

‘It’s a terrible shame. This was a time when Christine was supposed to be coming out of herself.’

Christine, a former model and beauty queen, has been attempting to rebrand herself after years of being a stay-at-home mum. With busier lives, the two now share a diary but I’m told Paddy constantly fills it with his commitments, causing tension as to who picks up domestic tasks.

If Paddy’s displeasure was the reason for Christine leaving Celebs Go Dating, it wouldn’t be the first project of hers he’s objected to. He apparently didn’t care for her 2021 appearance on ITV’s Strictly The Full Monty. Christine wanted to use the show to raise awareness of her recently diagnosed autism, and also to pay tribute to her mum Joanne, who was being treated for breast cancer. Yet Paddy did not initially appear in the TV audience, or post any messages of support, until, it is said, his management stepped in.

A source close to her tells me: ‘Paddy said he didn’t want her doing the show. She’d just been diagnosed with autism and he didn’t want his wife in the spotlight, but she felt she could do some good by taking part.’

Only last week, a friend of Christine’s told me that, in their view, Paddy had not been kind to her during their acrimonious divorce, nor since because they believe he elevated the price of their house so it would not sell.

Initially they’d agreed to live together to not uproot their autistic children, twins Leo and Penelope, 11, and eight-year-old Felicity, though friends say it’s because he didn’t want to move to a smaller home.

Sources close to Christine say she is ‘utterly miserable’ at the arrangement. Selling up was a route out but the property, thought to be worth £2.5 million, is on the market at £6.5 million. Rumours that Paddy has formed close friendships with co-stars, including actress Emily Atack, haven’t calmed troubled waters, either.

‘It seems as if it’s OK for Paddy to do what he likes, but Christine can’t,’ said one source close to her.

The plot thickens, however, following a joint statement by her and Paddy. It says a ‘constant inaccurate narrative about our relationship is upsetting,’ adding: ‘While we understand we are in the public eye… and recent circumstances have meant that has been the case more than usual, the levels of scrutiny have become unbearable for us as a family.’

It is this ‘heightened attention’, they insist, that has caused Christine to quit the show. Suffice to say, her friends retain their doubts.