Paddy McGuinness and his wife Christine shocked fans when they announced that they were calling time on their marriage after 11 years.
The Take Me Out host, 49, and model Christine, 35, made a joint statement in 2022 announcing that they were splitting the post read: "We'll always be a loving family, we still have a great relationship." The pair added that they will continue to "live happily in our family home together".
Paddy and Christine share three children together, Penelope, Felicity and Leo - who have all been diagnosed with autism. Many might find their living arrangements unusual as they are no longer together but they said it was for the sake of their children.
Unusual living arrangement
With their children's autism diagnoses, the parents felt that it was best to provide them with a stable routine in the same house.
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly last month, Christine said: "We want to keep things the same as much as possible for the children, I don't want anything to affect them. We are family and we'll always be family no matter what and we're living in a nice, happy home."
Paddy and Christine didn't tell the children that they split up as they continued to live together. Living in the same home makes it easier for the pair to co-parent their children.
Christine was previously asked if it was strange living in the same house as her ex-husband. The model said that it was actuslly "absolutely fine" as she doesn't "know any different than to live with him."
She added: "I've been with him since I was 19 years old and we just want to do what's best for our children. It's certainly not a long-term plan."
Paddy and Christine want to focus on their children's happiness and said "slow changes are better". They even agreed to spend Christmas together so they could celebrate the holidays as a family of five.
She previously told OK magazine!: "We don't know what the future holds or how it's going to be moving forward, but we'll try to keep things as normal as possible."
"I'm quite happy for him to be there with the children and it's nice for them to see Mummy and Daddy just being alright. We can sit and have a cup of tea together and that's fine."
Paddy's depression
Paddy recently said that it was his ex-wife who was the first person to notice that he was suffering from depression. The 49-year-old had no idea that he was experiencing the symptoms which included losing his temper.
Christine, who appeared on the Real Housewives of Cheshire, has in recent years opened up about her struggles as well as being diagnosed with autism. Paddy said he "wasn't aware" of his struggles, before adding: "You can be as low as low can be and it's the people around you that tell you."
Speaking on the Monday Mile podcast, he told Aimee Fuller: "So Christine and a few of my family members would say stuff and ask if I was okay and I would think, 'Why are they always asking me that?' But obviously you can't see it yourself, it's in your head, it's not like you've got a limp where people can spot it and you can spot."
Paddy admitted he was "relieved" when he was eventually diagnosed with clinical depression by his doctor. The TV star noted that after each therapy session, he would often leave the room feeling as though he'd been in a ring with Tyson Fury.
Mutual support
In March, Paddy said that he was "very proud" of his ex-wife when her documentary on autism aired. 'Christine McGuinness : Unmasking my Autism' was the documentary which aired on BBC iPlayer which sees Christine speak about her decision to split up with Paddy as well as her autism diagnosis.
She also opens up about very personal matters in the documentary and talks about how she was raped as a teenager before she met Paddy and used to "pray every night that I wouldn't wake up in the morning", due to the abuse.
She received her diagnosis while making a documentary with Paddy about living with their three children.
In Paddy's post, he shared a photo from the documentary, and wrote: "Very proud of Christine for making this new documentary highlighting Autism, particularly in women. It’ll be a massive help to our daughters in years to come along with our little lad. #unmaskingmyautism #awareness #acceptence."
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