Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Hosting Top Gear brought me closer to my autistic son
TV Paddy and his lad bond over cars
TOP Gear star Paddy McGuinness has seen his love for his autistic son switch to a higher gear thanks to their shared passion for cars.
His wife, model Christine Martin, says the BBC motoring show has helped him get closer to six-year-old Leo than he’s ever been.
“Top Gear has created a bond between my son and husband they never had before,” she revealed at this week’s Pride of Britain Awards.
“Leo is passionate about cars. He loves things with wheels, anything that spins.
“He doesn’t understand what a celebrity is or what a TV show is, but he knows that his Daddy works with cars.
“And he is obsessed with them – they have something to talk about now. We get new cars delivered to the house every couple of weeks, and he takes the kids for a spin in them.
“They absolutely love it. And that’s why I love it too.”
The couple have autistic twins Leo and Penelope, as well as younger daughter Felicity, four, and they hope one day to make a documentary about the condition.
“It would be educational and I hope it would help people understand autism,” said Christine.
EXCITED
“But it is finding the time around our schedules. Getting us in one place together is going to be hard.”
Paddy, 46, became the new face of Top Gear alongside Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris earlier this year.
It means he is away filming a lot, but Christine says the family is managing to cope.
She said: “He’s away for big periods of time. It’s not just a few days – there is a lot of travelling. So when he is home we are all really excited and we make the most of that time.”
Christine, 31, said the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards – which celebrate the achievements of remarkable “ordinary” people – were “the biggest event I’ve ever done on my own on the red carpet”.
“I was like, ‘what do I do with my arms? Where is my husband?’
“But for me to come out on my own, it shows how much we have come on as a whole family. That wouldn’t have happened a few years ago. I would have been too worried about leaving the children. We are doing so well, and they will be absolutely fine.”
“My mum is looking after them and my husband will be back home tonight.”
The couple – who married in 2011 – still ensure they make time for romance in their busy lives.
“We don’t have date nights but we have lunch dates,” said Merseysideborn Christine, who starred in ITVBe’s Real Housewives of Cheshire.
“It’s not as romantic, but it is easier when the kids are at school. If we both have a day off we will go for lunch and make the most of our time.” Watch The Pride of Britain Awards, Tuesday 8pm, ITV