My Autism Diagnosis: Christine McGuinness

Model and reality TV star Christine McGuinness has spoken frankly about living with autism, after being diagnosed in adulthood. The former beauty queen has become an ambassador for national charity Caudwell Children to help other UK families access autism support services. Following her autism diagnosis in 2021, at the age of 33, Christine, who starred in reality TV show The Real Housewives of Cheshire, admitted it explained a lot about her early life. In April this year, she described her relief at the diagnosis, acknowledging that she had noticed “little hints” that she was autistic throughout her life. However, she had continually tried to hide the symptoms, due to her desire to “fit in”. What led to her diagnosis? Christine and Paddy’s three children, nine-year-old twins Penelope and Leo, and six-year-old daughter Felicity, had all been diagnosed as autistic. The couple has been very open about their home life to help other parents whose children are on the autism spectrum. In 2019, Christine attended the opening of the Caudwell International Children’s Centre, in Staffordshire – the first purpose-built independent facility for autism assessment and research. She became an ambassador for the centre due to her own ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the condition. She also encourages more families to apply to the charity for help – particularly those waiting for an autism assessment. As a mother of three children with autism, the cause was particularly close to her heart. While filming for the BBC1 documentary, Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism, last year, Christine went for a test. She had always felt different from everyone else. However, she never understood why and employed “masking” behaviour to hide her symptoms. It wasn’t until she started writing her autobiography A Beautiful Nightmare that she realised how she had struggled throughout her life. She knew she was different in some way, even as a child, but wasn’t sure why. At school, she had just one good friend. She found it “too much” to have any more friends. As a teenager, she had no friends. She tried to fit in with various groups, but it never worked out. She had tried hard to be part of the “sporty group” at school, then the drama group and finally the art group but she felt she didn’t really fit in anywhere. After the struggle became too much, she stopped going to school at just 14 – she couldn’t face it anymore. She admitted she had never really made any good friends since. Although she knew plenty of people and was always able to give someone a call to meet for lunch, the real struggle came with actually building a friendship. When checking into a hotel room, Christine has to rearrange the furniture to her liking. When she doesn’t like any item, whether it’s a piece of artwork or a cushion, she’ll hide it in a cupboard for the duration of her stay. While writing her book and revisiting her childhood, she realised how many things had been a struggle and this led to the decision to get an official autism test. How has the diagnosis changed her life? After the autism diagnosis in the summer of 2021, Christine felt great relief, as she finally understood why she had always felt she didn’t fit in. The diagnosis has enabled her to make up for lost time and explore more things. It helped both Christine and Paddy to understand autism a lot more. It has also helped Christine in navigating both work and day-to-day life. Admitting to living a “reclusive” life until she met Paddy at 19 through a mutual friend; the two symptoms that have stood out for the star include problems socialising and food aversions. Paddy and Christine married in 2010. She would join her husband at the odd black-tie event but would often feel overwhelmed with anxiety, so she would make excuses to leave the table to go outside for some fresh air. Not understanding the reasons for feeling the way she did made it all the more difficult to cope. Looking down, she would hope nobody would speak to her. Christine now encourages other women who may have autism to go and have an official diagnosis. Eating preferences As a child, Christine was accused of being a “fussy eater”. She recalled people saying her mum was “too soft”. However, it was part of her autism. She has always followed a plain, bland diet, favouring foods such as cereal, bread, pasta and potatoes. Even today, she can’t eat anything with too much texture or seasoning. Now she’s aware of her autism, she’s making a conscious effort to try new foods. Her own three children have the same preferences for certain foods, so she wants to lead by example and encourage them to try new things. Other parents have said their own kids have only just braved trying certain foods such as pasta, so anything new is a step in the right direction. It’s far more than children going through a “fussy stage” – it’s a lifelong condition, she adds. She wants her kids to see her trying more so they will be inspired to do the same thing. Christine has been trying new things in her career too. She has appeared recently on new TV reality shows such as ITV’s The Real Full Monty, where a team of celebrities have mimicked the famous film in aid of cancer awareness. She has become a fitness guru and has also appeared on the ITV sports show, The Games, in a series of celebrity sporting challenges run by professional coaches. Autism awareness Both Christine and Paddy have adapted their lifestyle to accommodate their children’s needs. They faced challenges after their twins were born, as they struggled to understand how being autistic would affect their behaviour. In an interview, Paddy admitted Leo and Penelope had been continually on the go up to the age of about five. Consequently, Paddy and Christine hardly slept – a state he described as feeling “permanently jet-lagged”. Now, Christine says she feels their family life is “calming down” and “getting easier”. The children are improving managing their behaviour and emotions. “It’s been a long process,” she adds. “We’re not experts, we’re just parents and we’re trying to learn every day ourselves.”

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