Paddy McGuinness and ex-wife Christine have been open about raising three autistic kids, and the health battles that they’ve had to contend with.
Having separated in 2022, 51-year-old Paddy has addressed some of the challenges he and Christine, 36, continue to face as a result of their decision to keep sharing a home. He’s also been open about the obstacles they’ve had to overcome as they raise their young family…
You can catch Paddy in the new series of Tempting Fortune tonight (Sunday, March 16) on Channel 4.
Paddy and Christine have three kids (Credit: BBC)
Paddy McGuinness on the challenges of parenting three children with autism
For Paddy and Christine, parenting brought with it some unique challenges.
All three of their children – Leo, Penelope, 11, and Felicity, eight – are autistic, as is Christine. Leo and Penelope are twins, too, which means extra work for the first-time parents.
“You’ve got double nappies, double teething, double sleepless nights, double everything, and you’ve nothing to compare anything with,” Paddy told the Times in 2021.
When anxious or overstimulated, the twins would make trilling sounds or flap their arms – actions known as “stimming”, short for self-stimulatory behaviour.
Repeating physical movements, sounds or words is a type of repetitive behaviour common among people with developmental disabilities, ADHD or autism.
Leo would spin the wheels on his toy cars while Penelope cried and became introverted, Paddy explained. New experiences became challenging, including something as simple as visiting family members or friends for the day.
“I’m thinking, you have no idea how difficult that is,” Paddy explained. “To put your kids in the car and nip to your aunty’s or your cousin’s is the best thing in the world, but for us it was the most difficult thing in the world. And Christine wouldn’t let anyone in the house, really.”
Paddy and Christine’s have been open about their kids’ health battles (Credit: SplashNews.com)
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