Christine McGuinness has a new person in her romantic life, and she's been keeping them such a secret that not even her ex-husband, Paddy, knows about them.
The model, 36, and TV star, 51, announced their separation in June 2022 after 11 years of marriage. They shared that despite their split, they still live together—although in separate rooms—for the benefit of their three children, twins Penelope and Leo, 10, and Felicity, 7.
They released a joint statement telling fans: "A while ago, we took the difficult decision to separate, but our main focus was, as always, 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."
While the pair have remained closer than most, and Paddy previously stated that they are in no rush to "get a divorce", Christine is determined to move on with her life and is exploring a new romantic connection with a special someone who allows her to escape from "mummy" duties every now and then.
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Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)Sitting down with Best magazine, the star opened up about her new romance, revealing that she and Paddy have a no-talk policy regarding their love lives unless it involves their children: "We don't discuss it an awful lot, as we're trying to be respectful to each other," she said.
"Until it gets to a point where it would involve the children - which would be years off - then there's no point in discussing anything". The model then confirmed that it stands for her new romance, as she and Paddy "haven't spoken about it".
Despite keeping it private from her former beau, the model gushed about the sweeter details with the news outlet and the months leading up to her "first-time" dating, telling them that she avoided the dating world and focused on having time by herself, including being "celibate" so that she knew she could be "happy and comfortable" on her own.
After spending "months of not even messaging or flirting with anyone," she met someone on her birthday in March and, by June, decided to put herself out there and go on a date with the mystery person at a London members-only club.
Admitting she was "nervous" at first, the star said she told the person about her autism diagnosis, which she received three years ago, and they were quick to make her feel comfortable. The star adorably said it "was amazing" when describing their kindness and understanding toward her.
Now, five months later, the pair are still dating, with Christine telling the outlet: "I'm just dating. I'm not ready for a relationship, and that's something else I felt comfortable saying." She continued to say her desire to stay single is less about a fear of commitment and more about the "pressure and the time" as her kids" have got to come first."
While it's clear the star has an unwavering commitment to being a good mum, she did admit that spending time with another adult is "lovely" as it lets her "switch off" from being a mum for a night. She added, "It's just that I can't do it an awful lot."
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Getty Images for Paramount Pictures UK)Elsewhere in the interview, Christine spoke about how her diagnosis had affected her dating life, sharing that she has sensory issues around food, which resulted in her telling the person that she didn't want to go for dinner or drinks. She jokingly added: "I'm not selling myself for dating am I?"
Thankfully, the person was open-minded and they ended up having a nice time as they had gotten "comfortable" with each other before their date through talking on the phone and texting before meeting again.
Following the release of the new issue, Paddy has not shared his thoughts on his former partner's dating life, and Christine has not shared any further information about the mystery person.
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