Christine McGuinness breaks silence on Nicola Adams ‘romance’ & reveals why she has no plans to stop living with Paddy

TWO years post-divorce, Christine McGuinness is still living at the marital home with her ex-husband, Paddy. They were planning to buy two smaller properties when they sold their £6.5million Cheshire mansion, but with no buyer, they’re stuck with one another. Christine McGuinness, above in Being Wear’s sensory-friendly set, is still living with ex-husband Paddy Credit: Being Christine with Paddy at an awards do in 2019 Credit: Getty Sounds like a nightmare, but there’s another shock. It’s working so well, they’re thinking about making the arrangement permanent. “I thought it would be a short-term plan, but it works better than we thought it could,” reveals Christine. “Publicly, the house is up for sale. Privately, we’ve discussed more and more that we actually think this really works. “Patrick and I get on, and we always have done. We still have a relationship as co-parents; we respect each other and make it work. “Patrick has the top floor, the children and I are below. He comes in and out of my room; I go in and out of his room, we all share the living room. “I know a lot of people struggle to get their heads around it, but it works for us.” Christine and Paddy, who have three children, twins Penelope and Leo, 13, and Felicity, nine, split up in July 2022 and their divorce was finalised in October 2024 after 11 years of marriage. But as happy as Christine is with Paddy right now, she’s made one definite change in her life – she’s done with men. Christine revealed last year that she’s always found women attractiveBefore meeting Paddy, 52, who presented BBC’s Inside the Factory this year, as well as ITV’s Take Me Out from 2010 to 2019 and the BBC’s Top Gear from 2019 to 2022, Christine had relationships with women, she revealed last year. Since they split up, she has been dating women, and is loving it. “I wouldn’t consider a relationship with a man,” she says. “I’ve barely been approached by a man. Subconsciously, I shook that off. “I only want to date women now. There’s a flame, a fire I feel when I’m around certain women, and I love it. “The whole experience is a lot more intense; that’s what I like about it. I say to myself, I’m obsessed; I have to check myself: am I really feeling this, am I just running away with the dopamine? “I think the passion and intimacy is what I love the most about dating women. “I find women attractive; the whole experience is different. I would love to refer to someone as my wife one day. “What other people do in their twenties, I’m doing in my thirties. Christine and Paddy’s living arrangement is working so well that they’re thinking about making it permanent Credit: Being Underwear The star also reveals that rumours she was growing close to Olympic boxer Nicola Adams are false Credit: Getty “But the whole dating world is daunting. I enjoy the dating, but anything more serious, I struggle to keep up with that. When something turns into a relationship, I’m afraid the flame might die. I “And I have another life, a family life.” At 38, Christine looks stunning, as these pictures of her to mark the UK launch of Being Wear, an underwear brand for people with sensory sensitivities, show. After splitting up with Paddy, Christine, who was diagnosed with autism in 2021, began writing about her experiences with women. She published a best-selling autobiography, A Beautiful Nightmare: My Story, in 202. These musings have developed into a novel, based on her real-life experiences. She is about halfway through, and she describes as a sort of “Fifty Shades of Gay”. “My thoughts after sex were wild, I thought, I need to get this out of my brain, so I started writing it down,” explains Christine. Christine, who divorced from Paddy two years ago, has made one definite change in her life – she’s done with men Credit: Getty Christine is fronting the UK launch of Being Wear, an inclusive underwear brand, made from modal fabric Credit: Being Underwear “I’ve always loved writing, even at school, when my autism was undiagnosed. “I feel extremely fortunate to feel things in my heart and soul; I always think a lot. “This is an incredible story, so I’m turning it more into a novel, but keeping all the emotional side and feelings. “It’s based around one woman; it’s her moving to the city and finding her feet. “The intimacy parts are written about; it’s saucy but not seedy, it’s about how women think and feel, good and bad, what they’re thinking and feeling. “It’s a lot easier writing it for real, then changing it into a novel. I’m enjoying it; it’s ongoing. “I don’t know if or when I’ll put it out to publish it.” So who has she dated? Well, Christine is coy on that score, but in May this year there were reports that she was growing close to Olympic boxer Nicola Adams. Is it true? “No,” she laughs. “I literally just met her at an event.” Around the same time, Christine was photographed kissing Roxanne Conway, a DJ known professionally as Roxxxan, in her Land Rover Defender. Have they had a sexual relationship? “You’ll have to wait until I’ve written the book,” says Christine. “I’ve known Roxy for years; she’s an incredible woman, I’ve spent a lot of time with her.” For most of their marriage, it was TV star Paddy who was the famous one, but Christine found fame in her own right when she became one of the stars of The Real Housewives in Cheshire from 2018 to 2020. Last year, she starred in the E4 television series, Celebs Go Dating. And it seems at 38, she is relishing her freedom and exploring her sexuality, but family time is precious. Post-divorce, she is happily surprised how well things are working out with Paddy and their unconventional house-sharing arrangement. “When we were married, Patrick would sometimes use the top floor when he had to leave the house early, at 5am. It became more and more his room at the top. “It’s just carried on from there. Buying two other properties is a massive commitment. Instead of leaping forward with it, we’re doing stepping stones.“Perhaps in the future, I can have a little flat, a base with my toothbrush in it. “I was madly in love with Patrick, and I’ll always have love for him.” Christine’s late diagnosis of autism in 2021 finally made sense of the sensory issues she has experienced all her life, and she has since become a vocal advocate for autism and neurodiversity. Her three children also have autism. Now she is fronting the UK launch of Being Wear, an inclusive underwear brand, made from modal fabric and founded in Australia in 2025 by Andrew Whittle. “A seam, a tag, a waistband that sits wrong- these things matter more than people realise,” says Christine. “I’ve always cut my labels out of my clothes, and didn’t realise other people didn’t do it. These things can really bother people with sensory sensitivities.” How does she keep so super fit and toned? “I’m always on the move, up and down the stairs 10 to 15 times a day,” she says. “But it’s slow and steady with me. I do weights, Pilates and yoga, and I enjoy dance classes and swimming. “Everything in moderation, and I’m never hard on myself. “I don’t restrict myself on food and never have. Toast is a favourite with everyone. “Being a family with four autistic individuals, we like fairly neutral foods. We have a lot of carbs, pasta, chips, mashed potatoes, bagels, just plain things.” Christine has just returned from a holiday in Spain with the children and her mum, and now she’s planning another holiday – with Paddy. “I’m more than happy to have a holiday with their dad. We’re divorced, we have separate lives outside this house, together as a family. “I don’t want Paddy to miss out on anything, and he doesn’t want me to miss out on anything.” To find out more visit: https://beingwear.com