It was an unusually candid moment on the This Morning sofa last month when BBC golden boy Paddy McGuinness announced his own downfall.
There to promote his tour – the first in eight years – he was asked by host Emma Willis why he was going back to his roots as a stand-up comedian.
‘Errr… well, the money’s run out now, it’s taken about eight years to spend it all and I’m like, “Oh, I’ve got to build it back up”,’ he told her. Jaws dropped in the studio, insiders on the programme tell me. It seemed inconceivable that one of the most watched faces on television was admitting money woes.
Then, just before Christmas, the star posted a picture on Instagram of two mugs together labelled ‘his’ and ‘hers’, fuelling rumours that he was in a relationship after a difficult divorce from ex-wife Christine McGuinness.
It was quite the contrast to this time two years ago when McGuinness, 50, appeared to have it all. A beautiful wife, three children and four big shows on the BBC.
Paddy and Christine McGuinness split in 2022 and divorce proceedings started this week
Now, some weeks on from his candid television appearance, he is about to face a potentially acrimonious and expensive divorce battle with Christine, his loyal partner of nearly two decades.
Yesterday, proceedings began to formerly end their marriage, with Christine hiring the no-nonsense family lawyer Catherine Bedford of top London firm, Harbottle and Lewis.
Nicknamed the ‘pitbull,’ she represented Ant McPartlin’s wife Lisa in her bitter battle with the I’m A Celeb star, while she is also acting for Games of Thrones star Sophie Turner, who split from American singer Joe Jonas last year.
A friend of Christine’s tells me: ‘The gloves are off, she was good to Paddy, she stayed at home and brought up his children while he was out earning money.
‘It’s going to be an expensive divorce for Paddy. Christine has had enough.’
On screen, things have been just as bad, despite McGuinness being announced as the new host of A Question of Sport in September 2021, and being a presenter on Top Gear, I Can See Your Voice and Catchpoint.
As he made his confession, one had to wonder whether McGuinness, the northern funny man who rose to fame on the comedy circuit with the help of fellow comedian Peter Kay in series such as That Peter Kay Thing, Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere, was already aware that A Question of Sport was about to be axed. Last month the BBC announced that the quiz show had come to an end after 53 years. Those working on the programme said ratings had ‘gone down the drain’ since McGuinness arrived.
I Can See Your Voice and Catchpoint had already been canned by the BBC and Top Gear had recently been paused following Freddie Flintoff’s crash. McGuinness’s biggest gig, as the host of ITV’s Take Me Out, came to an end in 2019.
Just before Christmas , the star posted a picture on Instagram of two mugs together labelled ‘his’ and ‘hers’, fuelling rumours that he was in a new relationship
Meanwhile, over at Channel 4, his luck also appears to have run out. Insiders say his big-budget show Tempting Fortune is ‘unlikely’ to return.
His deal with Marks & Spencer as an ambassador of their food range also appears over.
So what has prompted the cheeky funny man, once synonymous with the catchy phrase ‘no lighty, no likey’ – coined in Take Me Out some years ago – to have had such a fast fall from grace?
Television executives tell me that his high-profile split from in 2022 had had ‘an absolutely cataclysmic effect’ on his work.
He had, for a long time, portrayed himself as the doting husband and father. The McGuinnesses even made BBC documentaries about their struggles – making them all the more appealing. Their show, Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism – their three children have the condition – was praised for highlighting the issues facing so many families.
So when, after numerous denials that their marriage was in trouble, they announced they had decided to go their separate ways, it came as a shock. In a joint statement on Instagram, the couple said: ‘A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus as always is to continue loving and supporting our children.
‘This was not an easy decision to make but we’re moving forward as the best parents we can be for our three beautiful children. We’ll always be a loving family, we still have a great relationship and still live happily in our family home together.’
It was, say television insiders, the beginning of the end for Paddy.
Christine McGuinness, 35, was seen out and about in Cheshire late last week
The celebrity couple were married for 11 years and have three children
One TV chief said: ‘Paddy and Christine were absolutely loved by the public as a couple, they appeared normal and down to earth.
‘While Christine has delved into TV a little, she was too busy with the kids when they were younger, but then she decided to come and show the world who she was.’
Sources close to the couple say this was something McGuinness wasn’t sure about, yet 35-year-old Christine – a former beauty queen, who was also in the Real Housewives of Cheshire – pressed on regardless.
In 2021, she took part in ITV’s Strictly The Real Full Monty, a show in which celebrities bare all to highlight the importance of checking your body for cancer. I’m told Paddy initially had his doubts but having recently had an autism diagnosis herself, Christine saw it as another prime opportunity to raise awareness of the condition, and face her fears.
She also wanted to pay tribute to her mother Joanne, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and was receiving treatment as she filmed the show.
Despite his initial reservations at her taking part, McGuinness later showed support for his wife by posting enthusiastic messages on Instagram and going to watch the final episode in the audience.
Three months later, in 2022, Christine took part in reality show The Games, a Channel 4 show in which celebrities competed against each other in Olympic-style events, and where she became close friends with celebrities such as Love Island star Olivia Attwood and former footballer Chelcee Grimes. Again, it’s suggested this was something McGuinness wasn’t particularly keen on.
McGuinness’s seeming lack of enthusiasm for his wife’s latest endeavour was picked up by fans who even took to social media to question him on why he had not posted any words of encouragement for her.
McGuinness, right, with his Top Gear co-presenters Freddie Flintoff, left, and Chris Harris
Paddy McGuinness is embarking on his first stand-up comedy tour in eight years
It wasn’t lost either on his Top Gear co-star Flintoff, 46, who was presenting The Games with Holly Willoughby. During a segment where Christine was seen dancing around her javelin, Freddie commented: ‘I’m not sure if Paddy’s going to like it – no likey.’
In July 2022, it was reported in The Sun on Sunday that the end came when Christine was told McGuinness had kissed a star after they appeared on a TV show together. The woman was never named though Christine knows her identity and was said to be ‘devastated’ after learning of it during the The Games.
Just a week later it reported how McGuinness had also been sending direct messages on social media to a BBC presenter, which Christine discovered in March 2022. It is understood that was a contributing factor to the relationship ending. McGuinness has never responded to any of the allegations.
BBC insiders say the rumours of his behaviour were not popular with viewers. He had been employed by the corporation to appeal to a family audience but his private life was increasingly what he was becoming known best for – something broadcast chiefs were said to take a ‘dim view’ of.
Behind the scenes, McGuinness was said to be trying to persuade Christine that they shouldn’t get divorced as they can do much more together as a couple, but she refused to budge.
‘She was only 19 when she met him and is enjoying this new lease of life,’ said a friend of the star.
In April last year, the BBC commissioned Christine to do a solo show, Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism which was described as ‘a heartfelt journey of self-discovery’ where she ‘uncovers a hidden world of thousands of autistic women who, like her, have been ignored by science and society.’
BBC bosses were said to be so impressed with her that they are already discussing more projects.
The BBC’s decision to hand McGuinness the coveted role of Question of Sport host after Sue Barker was sacked was a definite feather in his cap. Yet BBC bosses are privately said to be ‘regretting’ their decision to get rid of Sue, 67.
McGuinness was chosen to chase the younger audience and was always deemed to be a funny star who was popular across all age groups.
But as the TV shows – and the pay cheques – dry up, it looks like it’s time for Paddy to go back to basics, and start all over again.