Christine McGuinness reveals ex-husband Paddy is rarely ever home as she talks navigating co-parenting and explains that he tells her when he’s been on dates

Christine McGuinness has opened up about co-parenting with her ex-husband Paddy as she described how the pair navigate dating while still living together.

The model, 36, split from the TV presenter, 50, in 2022, but they have maintained a strong relationship and still live together with their children, twins Leo and Penelope, 11, and eight-year-old Felicity.

Christine described how their unusual setup works and revealed that Paddy is rarely there; he spent an average of just five days a month at home last summer.

She explained that she takes the opportunity to leave when he is home to prepare for the time when they eventually move in apart and “soften the blow,” admitting that this is “the only way I can be mentally okay with co-parenting’.

Speaking to New Magazine, she said: ‘I only go on holiday if [Paddy’s] at home and because he isn’t home much, I take the opportunity to go away. In the summer he was home an average of five days a month, so those few days made sense.

“It was his time to have children and it’s not easy because when you have children you think you’re going to have them every day forever until they grow up.

‘Co-parenting means that when he comes back, he is entitled to his time and that it is good for the children: they enjoy spending time together. So it makes sense that I disappear for a few days and enjoy it.’

Christine confessed that she thinks she will ‘really struggle’ when the time comes for her and Paddy to share their children in separate homes, and expects it will be a ‘huge shock to all of us’.

Speaking about the pair potentially moving on with someone else, she insisted Paddy’s love life is ‘none of my business’ but revealed the comedian tells her when he has been on dates.

She said: ‘It’s none of my business what he does on his own time. He told me when he was on a date. We’ve been broken up for over two years now, so it will inevitably happen at some point. We both have a lot of respect for each other’s private lives and it is none of each other’s business. As long as it doesn’t affect the kids in any way, I don’t need to know who he is with and where he is going. That’s his personal life.’

The TV personality previously revealed that Paddy was often away, and admitted that despite still living with her ex-husband, she was the ‘calmest I’ve ever been’.

She explained: ‘He’s not home much because he’s so busy with work, but we just get along so well and we know we have to be a team for the kids.

‘I’m the calmest I’ve ever been. I didn’t realize before how restless my nervous system was. I always had a kind of shakiness and fear in me. A lot of that came from the fear of change.

‘It was only this year that I had a good feeling about the changes after the divorce. I kind of feel like I live on my own, because Patrick works so much and when that happens, I know everything will be fine.

‘He’s a great dad, so hands-on around the house and so good at what he does. He’s a great provider, but it takes a lot. I am the constant at home for the children.

‘We’ve never had an argument. We will have difficult, challenging conversations, but we don’t argue, but that’s just not in me. We have a pretty good balance and when he’s home I know I can get away for a few days and it’s guilt-free because it’s daddy’s time with the kids.’

She confirmed that the former couple had yet to tell their children about the split, saying they “wouldn’t understand it yet.”

But in March, Christine – who, along with her children, has been diagnosed with autism – explained that she ‘doesn’t like change’ and yet she realized that after fifteen years of ‘being a wife and mother’ she longed to find out come to terms with who she was as a person.

She explained, “We’re actually not like any other family I know. I like how we are, I try not to compare myself to other families because we’re actually not like any other family I know.”

Meanwhile, Christine revealed she started seeing someone new in June, saying it was “early days” but had been “great” so far.

She explained last month: ‘I met them on my birthday through mutual friends and we have been dating since June. It’s someone I know. I didn’t think about it at the time, but we kept in touch and it’s so fun and relaxing.’

The TV personality added: “There are no labels and that’s great. Paddy didn’t meet them. It’s still new and early.

‘After being in a relationship in the public eye for so long, I’m not sure I want to make the relationship public. I’ve only ever known what it was like to be in a relationship that’s in public. This is fun.

‘From the start I have been very open and honest about where I am now and they are fine with that. I feel like I’m in good company. I don’t have much time for myself, but when I do it’s wonderful and we laugh a lot.’

Christine revealed she was dating again during an appearance on Loose Women in August, but has insisted she is unlikely to marry again.

She admitted, “I really don’t think so. For me, I did it. I’ve had the big wedding and I think when you get married you can never imagine it ending but when it does you get through it but getting married is the last thing you want to do when you get through it are.

‘Even though we have had an amicable separation, there have been times when it has been really exhausting and challenging. It’s quite a task when you have to get up every day and smile in front of your children.’

She recently returned home from a romantic, sun-soaked getaway in Ibiza and shared photos of her lounging on a bed strewn with rose petals, candles and balloons, while her companion remained a mystery.

The trip came just after Christine’s night out with Roxxxan in London, where she shared photos of the pair cozying up and the model, 33, lifting Christine’s leg in the air.