Christine McGuinness has let fans into her life and childhood ahead of her autobiography release next week.
The TV personality and model, 33, who is married to comedian Paddy McGuinness, has revealed the truth about her hellish upbringing before she made it to stardom.
In an extract of her book - A Beautiful Nightmare - seen exclusively by the Mirror, The Real Housewives Of Cheshire star says: "I’m a mum to three children I adore, I’m in a happy marriage, my career is reaching new heights and I feel more capable than I have ever done."
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“I’m proud to be Patrick’s wife. But I am Christine and want people to know about my life – before and after I took my husband’s name,” she says.
In case you missed the revelations that unfolded this week, here, we take a look at the most tragic moments of Christine's life, as candidly detailed by the mum-of-three herself:
Sexual abuse from a family friend
From the age of nine to 13, Christine was sexually abused by someone close to her family, she has revealed.
The male forced her to watch sexual videos and clips of being killed - which she still has nightmares over.
Christine, who was born in Blackpool and raised on a council estate in Halewood, Merseyside, tells of how she'd be taken to the seaside but then would have to travel home naked.
"He would take me to his house to watch disturbing videos," she recalls.
"I never understood what he got out of forcing me to view this extreme violence. He’d also take me to places like the beach and after playing in the sea he’d tell me he didn’t have any dry clothes. I would then have to travel home naked. If we went to a day out at a pool, he would come into the changing rooms with me.
“Now I know that’s because he was a paedophile. My sleeping pattern these days is worse than dreadful at the best of times. It takes me ages to drift off and I wake after every hour, or couple of hours.
“And I believe that’s because of the videos he showed me.
“I can’t unsee it and most nights I have nightmares. It’s absolutely awful.”
Turning to alcohol
Christine, who now lives in a stunning home in Cheshire, had turned to alcohol by the time she became a teenager.
At 13, she used it as a crutch to cope with the trauma of bullying she suffered at school by girls who were jealous over her popularity with boys, she says, and because she had entered beauty pageants.
In her later teens, she claims she spent more time drunk than sober.
"A lot of times I necked a bottle of vodka before I’d left the house," she recalls.
Rape at 13
Christine has also revealed that she lost her virginity when she was raped at the age of 13.
She blamed herself for what had happened and received no help when she reported the incident.
She says: "It happened at a house party and, as usual, I’d been drinking. In a drunken stupor, I got into bed. A boy from school came in and had sex with me, against my will.
“I remember saying ‘no’ and tried to push him off. I blamed myself massively. I know as an adult it wasn’t my fault, but I think if I wasn’t drunk it wouldn’t have happened.
Christine says she told her teacher and school counsellor about what happened, but was told she 'must have got it wrong'.
They were more concerned about where she got the alcohol from, she says.
She recalled: "It took a lot of courage, but I sat down with her one day and told her what had happened on that horrific night.
"Instead of a lot of support and advice, which you’d expect when you tell someone in a position of authority you’ve just been raped, she simply said I must have got it wrong. There was very little sympathy."
Addict dad
Christine has also opened up about her father's drug addiction.
As a one-year-old baby, she crawled over one of his needles as a toddler, which saw her mother Joanne walk away from him.
And as a youngster, she witnessed him take drugs in their family home and says he chose them over being a dad to his children.
She writes: “I saw my dad inject heroin. As a teenager, I struggled with his addiction. I blamed myself. When I became a mum, I kept thinking about how he chose drugs over his own kids.
“But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised it wasn’t as simple a choice for him. Addiction is an illness.”
Anorexia battle
On top of the other battles she faced, the TV personality developed an eating disorder as a young child.
At eight-years-old, she became fussy over food, and developed anorexia.
Christine would tell her mum that she'd eaten at school to avoid a meal at home, but the truth was that she was skipping both meals.
In her book, she admits that it can still be a problem.
“I had anorexia for years and if I’m honest, it still can be a problem now, but I’m getting better," she says.
"I don’t think it’s something you ever fully get over. I always felt like I didn’t fit in. The dining hall was a social experience I couldn’t deal with. Queueing for food used to give me major anxiety. I didn’t know where to sit or who to sit with.
“Having to socialise and the fear of rejection was a massive thing.”
She was officially diagnosed with the disorder at 14 when she failed to get periods.
Her hubby Paddy, who she met at 19 on a modelling job, helped her to eat more, and subtly encouraged her to try different foods when they were struggling to conceive.
She says: "He knew I was struggling with my anorexia. He started organising little Come Dine With Me parties, for us and close friends, because he knew I’d never eat in a restaurant. He was clever, he figured out a way to get me to eat. It worked and slowly my periods began reappearing.”
Christine says she still struggles with the condition, which has resulted in her collapsing on a couple of occasions.
“Patrick called an ambulance a few times. Even during lockdown, I fainted and had to explain to the paramedics I hadn’t eaten for a while.
“The real wake-up call was when I collapsed when I was with the twins. It’s something I’ll never forgive myself for. I don’t know how long I was out, probably minutes. It upsets me thinking about it, and I’m ashamed. I’ve got to make sure I stay healthy for the kids.”
Autism diagnosis
Christine has been raising awareness of autism after her three children, twins Leo and Penelope, eight, and five-year-old Felicity, were diagnosed with the condition.
But now she has revealed in her book that she was actually diagnosed this summer too - and Paddy saw the signs.
"I have been confirmed as autistic. It’s strange, but I’ve noticed there are little hints throughout my life that I’m autistic and more like my children than I ever could have imagined," she writes.
"My issues with food, my social struggles, how hard I find it to make friends and stay focused, and my indecisiveness. The way I float through life reminds me of how my eldest daughter Penelope is.
"It all makes sense now. And as much as I’m not totally surprised, it’s still been emotional for me to accept, but it’s a relief as well."
Preorder Christine McGuinness: A Beautiful Nightmare (RRP £20, out 25 Nov) and save £5 with the offer code XA9. Order online at Mirrorbooks.co.uk
