Christine McGuinness has a life full of love with her three children as she finds herself following a marriage split and autism diagnosis
WORDS: JEN PHARO PHOTOS: MATTHEW EADES, REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
PERSONAL JOURNEY
Becoming a mum of three children has made all of Christine McGuinness’ dreams come true and filled her life with love.
Despite her high-profile split from her husband Paddy and seeing the comedian and actor move on to new relationships, Christine says her “heart is full”, thanks to the love of twins Leo and Penelope, 10, and daughter Felicity, seven.
Rather than looking for a new partner, Christine is learning to understand herself and enjoy her freedom. “My life is full of love with my children,” she smiles. “I’m very, very lucky. My heart is full. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything at all.”
Christine was only 19 when she met Paddy and has never lived her life without a significant other.
“It’s very important that I have some time on my own. I’m 35 now and I don’t know any different than to share my life with somebody else,” she says.
“I’m going to share it with the children, of course, and Patrick’s always going to be around as the father of my children. But I want to have time on my own. I want to have those nights where I’m out at work and I don’t have to ring anyone and say, ‘This is where I am.’ I want to be able to have that freedom.”
Finding herself has become a priority for Christine since she was diagnosed with autism at the age of 33. Her diagnosis followed those of her children and understanding autism has been key to helping the family thrive. The children are all well, although Christine reveals she has spent nights awake, anxiously worrying who would raise them if anything were to happen to her.
“I do worry about if something happened to me or if something happened to Patrick, then who is going to look after the children?” says Christine. “Who’s going to understand them and love them and care for them the way that I do? I think it’s a natural worry as a parent to feel like that.”
Lately though, Christine has been trying to conquer her anxieties and learn to live in the present. “I’m just trying to not let it keep me awake at night any more, that’s what it used to do,” she says. “I’m going, ‘just enjoy this time while we’re here.’”
As part of Christine’s quest for meaning, she has taken part in BBC Two’s Pilgrimage: The Road Through N
