CHRISTINE McGuinness recently opened up about the experience of telling her children about her divorce from their father, Paddy.
The model, 37, spent 11 years of marriage alongside the popular Take Me Out host before they called it quits for good back in 2022.
Christine and Paddy were married for over a decade[/caption]
The pair still live together[/caption]
They share three children who all have autism like Christine[/caption]
Christine and Paddy have three children together – twins Leo and Penelope, as well as daughter Felicity.
All three of the children are diagnosed with autism.
Now that the couple’s twins have turned 12 years old, Christine has opened up about the way they speak to one another about their parent’s separation.
“I’ve spoken to the children about relationships in general and adulthood,” Christine told The DailyMail.
“‘Obviously, my twins are 12 now, so we’re having those conversations, and they’ve absolutely blown my mind with how much they understand, and how mature they are.
“It makes me feel very proud of not just how well I’ve done as a mum, but as a family how open we are.
“And how good we are at communicating with each other, and reassuring the children that everything is ok.
“Every family is different, and this is our normal. “
Christine explained that one of the things she feels was most important was explaining to her children that it’s okay to change your mind in a relationship, even if you have been with somebody for a long time.
“It’s good to teach them that one of the great things about being an adult is that you can change your mind at any time.
“If one day you are in a relationship, and then you just want to go and be friends [the next day], or you consider yourself just family instead, then that’s ok – you can do that.”
Christine still speaks positively about Paddy inside of their home, as well as outside of it.
She openly admires his work ethic and spoke about how he inspires her to want to go out and do more for herself.
“I think he [Paddy] is a really hard worker, and he has always been a grafter.
“He loves his work, and I admire that.
“He has inspired me to want to work more, and to be independent and go for it.
“The way he has gone out and worked is admirable.
“It’s not easy leaving your children and being away from home.
Christine and Paddy finalised their divorce out of court last summer despite coming to the decision to split in 2022.
Though the couple have split up they still live together in their family home in Cheshire.
They’re said to have maintained that arrangement since 2022 to prioritise caring for their three special needs children.
The pair’s divorce was rather messy, involving huge legal costs, a dispute over their shared family home, and an overall giant breakdown of trust for two people wishing to co-parent.
Their divorce is said to have cost around Christine around £300,000 in total, with at least £70,000 of that sum being spent on divorce lawyers.
Christne couldn’t been prouder of her kids[/caption]
