20 April 2024 , 19:41
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Christine McGuinness has revealed she has finally brought herself to start medication for her ADHD – and her friends have been amazed by the changes they have seen in her.
The mother of three, who is also autistic and accepted the need for help after struggling with her split from comedian husband Paddy, says the drugs calm her down and help her do things “better”. But the author, model and TV star admits she is reluctant to let go of her old self completely and wants to “drop a dose”, saying: “I quite like the scatty part of me and I missed it a little bit.”
Christine, 36, spoke earlier this year of secret “meltdowns” and mental health issues amid her divorce from former Top Gear and Take Me Out star Paddy, 50. She said in February there were days she wanted “to disappear”. She and Paddy have continued living under the same roof for the sake of their children, despite announcing their split in 2022.
Weeks before starting medication, Christine revealed: “Just recently, with a lot of changes in my personal life, I’m having a lot more meltdowns. I’m struggling. I probably do need more help.” And now, Christine, one of seven celebrities to take part in the recent BBC Two series Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales, has revealed that at around the same time she spoke of her meltdowns, she plucked up the courage to take action.
Christine McGuinness has started taking medication for ADHD (Getty Images)
Christine took part the recent BBC Two series Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales (instagram/@mrscmcguinness)She says: “I started medication around three months ago. I kept pushing it back, thinking, ‘Do I really need it, I’ve got to my thirties without – why do I suddenly feel like I just need it now?’ Eventually I just thought, ‘OK, I’ll try just a low dose and see what it does, see if it helps me’. And it has.
Paddy& Christine McGuinness reunite for New Year's Day family outing
“It’s helped calm my mind. I’m still active, still able to do everything I could before, just better. My head’s not switching to different topics all the time. I used to struggle to hold a conversation because I’d be having 10 others in the back of my mind.
"I’d leave a conversation not having a clue what we’ve just spoken about, because I’d be planning my weekly shop, or what are the kids doing this week, or shall I go to Ibiza tomorrow or do a yoga class – having all these conversations in my head. I feel like I’m better at that now that I’m on medication.”
Christine started taking medication about three months agoShe says the driving force was all the changes she had to take on board, explaining: “I think I needed it now because my life is unsettled. And when things calm down, hopefully I won’t need it as much.”
Christine and Paddy were married 11 years. They met when she was 19 and modelling at the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament. Their children, twins Leo and Penelope, 10, and Felicity, seven, are also autistic and Christine says two of them are being checked for ADHD. Autism, caused by differences in the brain, can lead to social interaction problems, restricted or repetitive behaviours and different ways of learning, moving or paying attention. ADHD makes concentrating hard and causes impulsiveness.
Christine was only diagnosed with the conditions at 33 and says it came as “a huge relief” as it helped her “understand” herself. Last month, she published The Magic is You, The Magic is Me, her second children’s book raising autism awareness. She has also made two acclaimed BBC documentaries about the condition.
Michaela Strachan and Christine McGuinness
Christine McGuinness worried about signing up for BBC's Pilgrimage after a co-star's warning (instagram/@mrscmcguinness)Christine says: “Before the medication I was constantly searching for a high. Every day, I needed something to make me feel good. I was constantly switching between doing something irrational, like booking a last-minute flight somewhere, or wanting to be on my own. I think that’s calmed down.”
But talking to former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews on this Wednesday’s Big Fish podcast, Christine admits: “I quite like the scatty part of me and I missed it a little bit – so I’m going to drop a dose.” And she tells Spencer, who was on the BBC Two pilgrimage show with her, that her ability to cope better has been evident to those around her.
Christine says: “People that have known me since my early twenties, when I was quite reclusive, they see me now and they’re like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe all the stuff that you’re doing’. On Pilgrimage, that was the first time I ever ate with people I didn’t know. In other jobs I’d remove myself from the room, make excuses, sit in a corner and eat there.”
- Big Fish with Spencer Matthews speaking to Christine is available on Wednesday, April 24. Previous episodes can be heard on Global Player