Paddy and Christine McGuinness announce split after 11 years of marriage

They've released an emotional statement

Author: Alex RossPublished 22nd Jul 2022
Last updated 25th Jul 2022

Following weeks of rumours that their marriage was on the rocks, Top Gear presenter Paddy McGuinness and his wife Christine have announced they've sadly split.

Christine, who shares three children with Paddy, took to her Instagram Story to write: 'We hadn't planned on sharing this publicly until we were ready but after a lack of privacy surrounding our personal life, we feel left with no other option but to clarify.

'A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus was 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. We hope this now draws a line under anymore unwanted and unnecessary intrusion into our private life.

'Although we work in the public eye we ask kindly if you could respect our wishes for privacy on this matter. We'll be making no further comment.'

Despite the split, the pair have revealed they will continue to live together for the sake of their three children, eight-year-old twins Penelope and Leo, and six-year-old Felicity, who have all been diagnosed with autism.

See which other celebs have split in 2022:

Denise Van Outen and Eddie Boxshall

Following a seven-year relationship, Denise Van Outen confirmed in January she'd split from her fiancé Eddie Boxshall.


Denise released a statement confirming the sad news, saying: "Over the past couple of months, there has been much speculation regarding my relationship with Eddie. It saddens me to confirm that we are no longer a couple. I had to make the difficult decision not to continue in our relationship."

Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet

Following 16 years together, Aquaman actor Jason Momoa and his actress wife Lisa Bonet announced their split in a joint statement in January.


The pair have two teenage children together.

Alan Carr and Paul Drayton

Comedian and TV host Alan Carr split from his husband Paul Drayton in January, after 13 years together.


A statement released to the PA Agency read: "After 13 years as a couple and three years of marriage, Alan Carr and Paul Drayton would like to announce they are separating.


"They have jointly and amicably made the difficult decision to divorce and go their separate ways.


"We request that their privacy is respected at this sensitive time."

Helen Skelton and Richie Myler

Just four months after welcoming their baby girl, Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton announced she's split from her husband Richie Myler.


She wrote on her Instagram Story: 'Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple. He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co parent our small children.'

Shakira and Gerard Pique

After 12 years together, music star Shakira and footballer Gerard Pique announced they'd split. The pair released a statement reading: "We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we request respect for (our) privacy. Thank you for your understanding."

Amanda and Clive Owen

Our Yorkshire Farm's Amanda and Clive Owen released a joint statement in June 2022, revealing they've decided to split after 22 years of marriage.


The couple, who share nine children, revealed they will work on the farm and co-parent their children together.

Paddy and Christine McGuinnessPaddy and Christine McGuinness

After weeks of speculation, Paddy and Christine McGuinness released a joint statement in July to announce they'd decided to split. The pair confirmed they will continue to live together for the sake of their three autistic children.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson

After nine months of dating, Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson split in August 2022. A source close to the pair told E! News: "They have lot of love and respect for each other, they found that the long distance dynamic and their demanding schedules made it really difficult to maintain a relationship."

Adam Peaty and Eirianedd Munro

Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty released a statement in August to reveal he'd split from his girlfriend of three years, Eirianedd Munro. The couple shared their son George together.

Tyler Stanaland and Brittany Snow

After just two years of marriage, Selling The OC's Tyler Stanaland and Pitch Perfect actress Brittany Snow called time on their relationship.


Tyler said on Instagram: 'After time and consideration, Britt and I have made the difficult decision to separate. This decision was made with love and mutual respect for one another. We have realized we need to take some time and make sure we are each living our most fulfilling and authentic lives. We started this journey as best friends and our relationship will continue to be a priority not only for us but for our dog Charlie. We sincerely appreciate your support and ask for privacy as we navigate this new chapter.'

Example and Erin McNaught

After 11 years of marriage and two children, DJ Example (AKA Elliot Gleave) and his wife Erin McNaught announced they'd split. Example released a statement revealing the pair are still friends and are co-parenting their two children.

Luca Bish and Gemma Owen

Love Island 2022 runners-up Luca and Gemma announced their split on Weds 16th Nov. Gemma shared a statement to her Instagram Story, writing: 'It wasn't an easy decision but ultimately this is what is best for us both right now.' Luca responded with his own statement, writing: 'I would have liked some time to process this privately but as you all already now know sadly Gemma and I made the mutual decision earlier today to go our separate ways.'

Matt Jameson and Daniel McKee

MAFS UK stars Matt Jameson and Daniel McKee revealed in December 2022 that they had split amicably, admitting that they realised they were better as friends. They shared the news with a touching joint post on Instagram, the same night the MAFS Christmas Reunion aired on E4, which they were both absent from.

Ashley Banjo and Francesca Abbott

Diversity performer Ashley Banjo and his wife Francesca Abbott announced their split in a joint statement in December 2022, revealing they'd actually decided to part ways 18 months earlier.

Just hours before confirming their split, 48-year-old Paddy uploaded a selfie from a recent family trip to Centre Parcs, after their planned holiday to Spain was cancelled due to passport issues.

He wrote: 'Yes! We finally got away for our family holiday! 😎

'After discovering, 3 days before we were due to fly, our youngest daughters passport had expired, our holiday to Spain had to be cancelled. We’d been telling the kids all about it, especially the airport part, so to suddenly change plans wasn’t easy! Mums and Dads with Autistic children will know exactly what I mean 😅

'Thankfully we got lucky and found the last available lodge at Centre Parcs, I booked it straight away. It was a big tree house and the kids absolutely loved it!!! We had a full week of activities booked for them and discovered a few of our childrens hidden talents, namely scaling the indoor climbing walls. I’m so proud of how well they did but mainly by how much fun they had. ❤️

'We met another family there who also had a child with Autism. They’d been going there for years. We can highly recommend Nottingham Centre Parcs, this isn’t an advert, we paid. If you’re a family who struggles with airports and all the hassles of travelling abroad this place could be the answer, it even had it’s own beach! The staff were great with the kids and you can please yourself what you want to do. You can chill out and have a quiet one or dive into all the activities! We did a bit of both. We’ll definitely go back there.

'We’re home now to our own beds, which no holiday can ever beat! 😁 #holiday #friday #family #centreparcs #nottingham #climbing #forestwalks #beach #familyfriendly #autismawareness #boats #bikes #activities #childfriendly'. (sic)

Paddy started dating The Real Housewives of Cheshire star Christine way back in 2007, with the Take Me Out host proposing on Christmas Day in 2008.

Paddy and Christine went on to get married at Thornton Manor in Wirral, before welcoming three children together.

Last year, the pair featured in a BBC One documentary called Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism, where they raised awareness and helped other parents facing the same difficulties.

How to listen to Cool FM:

Tune into Northern Ireland’s number 1 for music, Cool FM on 97.4FM, online, on our Rayo app, your DAB radio, or say ‘Play Cool FM’ on your Smart Speaker. We play you the biggest hits from the world’s hottest artists, from Pete Snodden in the morning to the NI Hit 40.