Five years after receiving her autism diagnosis, Christine McGuinness is embracing a new chapter – and believes people now see her as more than “Paddy McGuinness’s wife”.
The TV personality, who was also given an ADHD diagnosis in 2022, has become an advocate for neurodiversity and is determined to make a difference.
“Getting to know and understand myself more has helped me dramatically and my advice to other people in a similar situation is always be kind and patient with yourself,” she tells us. “I’m definitely getting there. I’m not confident. I’m not insecure. I’m just at a nice place in my mind and in my body. I haven’t got crazy worries about life and I’m not trying to do crazy things or make noise.”
Christine is happy in her own skin and carving out a new life for herself -Credit:Being Wear
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Blackpool-born Christine, 37, was married to the Top Gear host for 11 years and the two continue to live together in Cheshire with their three children, twins Leo and Penelope, 13, and nine-year-old Felicity who are also autistic.
While speculation has focused heavily on her love life since the separation, has built a successful career as a best-selling children’s author, campaigner and documentary maker.
“I’m never trying to prove a point or anything, but I do feel people are seeing me for more than just how I look or just being Paddy’s wife. I’ve got so much more to talk about and so much more to say. There’s more to me than how I look.”
Christine is also continuing her work raising awareness of neurodiversity, and was speaking as she teamed up with underwear brand Being Wear, whose sensory-friendly, gender-neutral clothing has been designed with neurodivergent people in mind.
Christine and Paddy were married for 11 years before announcing their split in 2022 -Credit:Getty Images
“Imagine going into a shop and it just being gender-free shopping, where you can all wear whatever you want and it’s not like his or hers – I really, really loved that.”
Alongside her advocacy, Christine is writing her first novel which is inspired by her own experiences of being in relationships with women.
“It’s very much about love and is not a kiss and tell,” she says. “Yes, there’s the naughty scenes in there and they are more detailed, I suppose, than what I’ve read in others, but it’s not about that. It’s very much about the woman – how she thinks, how her mind works and how she feels.”
While her children will always be her priority, she is relishing being in control of her own life and the feeling that she’s “getting closer to it being my turn.”
Christine is championing the sensory-friendly underwear brand Being Wear -Credit:Being Underwear
Christine has become a leading advocate for neurodivergence since receiving her diagnoses -Credit:Instagram
Part of that next chapter includes looking for a London flat, although she and Paddy have no plans to end their successful co-parenting arrangement in Cheshire.
“The children love it and it really works,” she says. “So instead of getting two separate homes we’ll keep and share the family home for as long as it works for everyone, but get our own separate places.
“I’m in London a lot for work, so I’d love a little flat there and be a proper little Sex and the City girl!”.
Christine fronts the UK launch of Being Wear, a sensory friendly underwear brand, launching on National Underwear Day.
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