My autism meant I stayed married to Paddy just to feel safe, admits Christine
CHRISTINE McGuinness stayed in her marriage to TV presenter Paddy as it was ‘safe’ and she ‘doesn’t like change’ – which she realised after being diagnosed with autism.
The reality TV star, 34, is fronting a BBC 1 documentary titled Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism, which tackles the issue of women and girls going undiagnosed.
It also sees model Ms McGuinness discovering the links between her autism, having an eating disorder and suffering sexual abuse as a teenager. She also discusses her marriage to Top Gear presenter Paddy, who she wed in 2011 and with whom she has children Felicity and twins Leo and Penelope.
The couple revealed they had separated last June, just six months after their moving BBC documentary Our Family And Autism – which shone a light on Christine and her three children’s autism diagnoses.
Ms McGuinness said: ‘I didn’t want my family to ever fall apart and that’s why I stayed married.
As an autistic woman, I like to stay where I’m comfortable, I like things to stay the same.’
She explained: ‘I understand myself better now because that’s where I was comfortable just knowing that it was me, Patrick and the children – but sometimes change has to happen.’
In the documentary, Ms McGuinness said that when she first met Paddy he felt ‘very safe’ and so she stayed in that relationship for 15 years.
Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism is on BBC 1 and iPlayer on March 15 at 9pm.