28 March 2024 , 15:35
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Christine McGuinness has made it clear that she isn't willing to dive back into the dating pool, despite separating from her husband Paddy eight months ago.
Speaking to the Loose Women panel on Thursday, the former beauty queen explained that she was keen to stay single when she was asked about updates on her love life. "It's important for me to take this time to be with me", she highlighted after spending more than a decade on Paddy McGuinness' arm.
But to reiterate her point, the 36-year-old referred to her autism diagnosis which was made official in 2021 after years of uncertainty and she has since been focused on raising awareness around the spectrum condition.
Christine McGuinness revealed she hadn't dived back into the dating pool as of yet (ITV)"I’m still getting to know me as I was diagnosed only a few years ago", Christine stated, underlining the huge impact of a late diagnosis on an individual's day-to-day, before adding: "I want to spend time with my children. I just want to be with me, I’ve always been a loner, I quite like being in my own company."
Fans of the TV personality will know that she shares three children with presenter Paddy - 10-year-old twins Penelope and Leo, a daughter named Felicity, aged 7, have also all been diagnosed with autism.
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Christine and Paddy first met at the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament in 2007, when the former was only 19 years old, embarking on a romantic relationship two years later and walking down the aisle in June, 2011. The pair decided they to go their separate after eleven years of marriage in July, 2022, with the Top Gear host staying silent about the split for several months before finally speaking up.
At the time, in April 2023, Paddy got candid about feeling "homesick" while he was away from Christine and their family, explaining his aversion from the solitude to The Sun. "I've always had a sort of rule what I stick by where I never do more than nine days anywhere because I just like being at home", he told the tabloid, "I think naturally you get homesick."
Paddy had then added he got into the habit of keeping his phone close by to stay in constant contact with their three children and the former couple even made the decision to keep living under the same roof for their sakes. A handful of months later, Instagram users were excited as Paddy sparked new romance rumours with a snap showing off two full mugs of tea paired with the caption: "Hers and His."
Christine and Paddy McGuinness first met in 2007, becoming a couple in 2009 and tying the knot two years later (Dave Benett/Getty Images)During a chat with Vicky Pattison on podcast The Secret To Understanding Yourself, Christine revealed Paddy started dating again, saying: "We talk an awful lot and we're very open. He has said to me when he's been going on a date."
"We still live in the same house. But I think both of us right now we're very much in the same place, where we just don't really know what to do or where to go", she'd added.