Christine McGuinness has opened about about dating with autism following her split from her husband Paddy.
The TV personality, 35, and comedian Paddy, 50, announced their split in July 2022 after 11 years of marriage and Christine has now spoken about her dating life.
Christine, who was diagnosed with autism in 2021, candidly shared how the developmental disability affects dating for her.
She admitted that ‘no dating’ would be ideal for her as she spoke about how her diet of beige food means restaurants rarely cater to her restrictions.
Appearing on Friday’s Loose Women, she said of dating: ‘How am I gonna do that? What restaurant does plain cheese sandwiches with no butter? For me no dating at all would be ideal.’
Candid: Christine McGuinness has opened about about dating with autism following her split from her husband Paddy
Autism refers to a range of conditions characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. People with autism can be hypersensitive to textures, tastes and smells, meaning they may prefer beige foods.
Speaking about her sensory difficulties, Christine told how she developed an eating disorder as a child due to struggling to eat in a school canteen with other students.
Opening up about her mental health, she said: ‘I thought about suicide myself man times from the age of 12 and it’s that one impulsive decision that could have taken me away. I sit there and look fine.
‘You can smile and hide how you really feel, and it could cost a life. Eating disorder wasn’t about body image It was all down to sensory issues. There wasn’t a plan with the food every day.
‘Having to eat and socialise with children, I found it impossible. I told my mum I was eating at school. I told school I was eating at home. I never had periods as a teenager.
‘I wasn’t worried about my figure I just couldn’t cope with the sensory side of things. I’m a beige-atarian. You’re not gonna find me with a spaghetti bolognaise.’
She admitted autism wasn’t understood when she was at school and despite being in the top sets, she struggled to focus and left education before the age of 14.
Christine and her ex-husband Paddy share three children – twins Leo and Penelope, nine, and Felicity, six – who are also autistic.
Exes: The TV personality, 35, and comedian Paddy, 50, (pictured in 2019) announced their split in July 2022 after 11 years of marriage and Christine has now spoken about her dating life
Honest: Christine, who was diagnosed with autism in 2021, candidly shared how the developmental disability affects her dating life due to her dietary restrictions
Earlier this year, Christine opened up about her ‘life changing’ autism and ADHD diagnosis and admitted she finally ‘understands’ herself.
Appearing on The Doctor Will Hear You Now podcast with host Dr Zoe Williams, Christine discussed her health and urged others struggling to push for a diagnosis.
Speaking on her double diagnosis of ADHD and autism, Christine said: ‘It’s quite common to get a double diagnosis when you’re autistic, you could potentially be autistic and ADHD, or autistic and dyspraxic, or dyslexic, it is quite common to get that double barrel.
‘For me, I didn’t understand how I could be ADHD, because again, you Google or you see people, and you have this image of what you think ADHD is going to be like, and I didn’t fit in that bracket.
She continued: ‘I’m an inattentive ADHD, which is different to the typical hyperactive ADHD person that you might see and recognise more often. So, for me, when I’m inattentive, I can be quite distant, I live in my own little bubble.
‘It goes quite naturally with my autism, it overlaps and it’s quite similar, but then I have moments where I am extremely hyperactive in my thoughts, in the creative side, in my feelings, in my emotions.
‘I will be extremely hyper emotional if I’m sad: it can be the end of the world, to the point where I think, I can’t cope, I can’t do this anymore, even having suicidal thoughts.
‘It can go that far, and that’s where the hyper side is for me. On the plus side, if I’m happy, it’s the best thing in the world, and nothing can ruin your day, and it can be from the tiniest little thing.’
After an assessment, which she described as a ‘long process’, Christine was diagnosed when she was 31 – a result that was an ‘instant relief’.
Dating: She admitted that ‘no dating’ would be ideal for her as she spoke about how her diet of beige food means restaurants rarely cater to her restrictions
Family: Christine and her ex-husband Paddy share three children – twins Leo and Penelope, nine, and Felicity, six – who are all also autistic
Christine explained the scale goes from 0 to 50 and an average neurotypical person would score about 15, which Paddy did, while hers was 36.
She admitted: ‘From my own experience, it’s completely changed my life. I’m doing so much more now since my diagnosis. I understand myself so much more. I understand people in the world so much more than I ever did. I didn’t get it before.
‘I stayed in, I was a recluse for almost eight years, I barely left the house. I wouldn’t be doing the events and the jobs and the stuff that I’m doing now if I did not have that diagnosis. So it is very, very important.
‘I’d say to anybody to keep pushing, I know it’s hard, but don’t give up, because you deserve that clarity, you deserve to know that you’re not going mad. You’re not overthinking anything here, if you feel that you fit that bracket, then go for it, and get it clarified from the doctor.’