Paddy McGuinness' ex Christine says 'I need to' as she breaks down in tears over family

Paddy McGuinness' former wife, Christine, delivered a heartfelt update as she revealed a poignant insight into her family life. Speaking on John Reynolds' Extraordinary Life Stories podcast, the ex-model opened up about how the children she shares with Take Me Out presenter Paddy serve as her "biggest inspiration" and have shown her how to "not be scared".

The Real Housewives of Cheshire personality, who is mum to three youngsters - twins Leo and Penelope, plus Felicity, all of whom are autistic - made these comments whilst reflecting on a challenge she faced during ITV'sStrictly The Real Full Monty.

Christine, who herself received an autismand ADHD diagnosis in 2021, revealed that she'd "just been diagnosed" at the time but hadn't yet gone public with the news.

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Christine was participating in the programme for her mum, who'd recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and "really wanted to do it" but was aware she'd need to perform before an audience and that it would eventually be broadcast on television. She said: "I'm not a performer, I'm not a singer, I'm not an actress; I'm a mum. I've done bits of telly, but I'm just me. And I was so scared. I had the biggest meltdown. I was absolutely petrified, and it wasn't about even the performance side of things."

What troubled her was not just the audience, but also the "nerves and the anxiety", and the fear that she would "let everybody down" or "mess it up". Christine claimed that it's "quite typical" for "autistic-ADHD females in particular" to be "quite hard on themselves and overthink", confessing that it had stopped her from pursuing "things that I wanted to do".

She explained that during production, a week before filmingthe final dance, she went to watch her childrenperform in a Nativity play. At this point in the podcast, Christine could be heard getting emotional as she said: "I'm very proud of them. For three years before that Nativity, they could not sit in the assembly. They would come in the room; they'd last a couple of minutes, and they'd leave. They'd be fidgeting; they'd be upset.

"And this one time, they got up on stage, and they said all of the words, and they performed, and they remembered everything, and they smiled, and I just thought, 'Wow', you know? They are doing it. 'They can do it, so I need to do it'." Christine described her kids as her "biggest inspiration" and how she needed to lead by "example".

She said they were watching her, and she wants them to see that she not only works, but also has friends, drives and is independent. Christine added that it was them who taught her to "not be scared".

Paddyand Christine revealed they were going their separate ways in June 2022 after 11 years of marriage, though they carried on sharing a home for the sake of their kids.

Following some some turbulent years, Christine opened up to the Mirror last October about how she was now "feeling really good". Chatting on the Pride of Britain red carpet, Christine acknowledged she'd endured a "difficult" year.

In a frank confession, the former model disclosed that she'd "just come off my meds".

She explained: "I'm feeling really good now. This year has been difficult as I've just come off my meds. I've been on ADHD meds for the past year – I literally begged my doctor for help, because I just couldn't cope with things."

She continued: "Between the divorce, all of the attention around my personal life and dating – it was quite a lot."

Christine went on: "I'm constantly thinking about my children and how all of this [fame] is going to affect them. I've had to really think about if I'm in the right industry and if I can continue."

In further comments, Christine confessed that she loved the industry, but when she thought about her kids and "how much the public attention is going to affect their lives", she sometimes wondered if "it’s the right thing".