Model Christine McGuinness has spoken candidly about her autism diagnosis and ex Paddy in a new interview.
The 34-year-old mum of three split from husband Paddy McGuinness last year.
And now she’s said she felt as if she was pretending to be perfect throughout her 11-year marriage.
Christine McGuinness makes Paddy marriage
Speaking to Psychologies magazine, she explained: “I’d always wanted to be a wife so once I met Patrick, I fully went into ‘perfect wife’ mode.
“You know: ‘I’ll stay in, I’ll cook and clean and make sure I’m the best wife I can be.
“I was always pretending to be something else rather than simply just me. That’s all part
of masking.”
In 2021, Christine and Paddy made the documentary series: Our Family and Autism.
The former couple wanted to explore the condition as their three children – nine-year-old twins Penelope and Leo, and seven-year-old Felicity – all have autism.
Throughout the series, Christine saw a mirror between her experiences and those of someone with autism. The breakthrough saw her receive her own autism diagnosis, aged 33.
While the diagnosis helped Christine understand herself more, she has since admitted she “grieves” for her younger self.
I was always pretending to be something else rather than simply just me.
She added that while she was previously concerned her children may never live independently, she now can’t wait to see what they achieve.
And for the sake of her little ones, who don’t know about her and Paddy’s split, Christine still lives in the family home.
“I want the children to be able to see Mummy and Daddy getting along so we still have family days out and live in the same home We have a bond for life with the children and I’ll always look on Patrick as family,” she said.
‘We’ll always be a loving family’
The couple previously announced their split on Instagram with a thoughtful statement.
“A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus as always is to continue loving and supporting our children,” they wrote.
“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.”
It continued: “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 any more unwanted and unnecessary intrusion into our private life.”
Read more: Christine McGuinness shares her ‘heartbreak’ over Paddy split as she makes candid confession
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