Christine McGuiness has made a heartbreaking confession after admitting she ‘struggles’ to make friends. The 36-year-old television personality was diagnosed with autism and ADHD – often referred to as AuDHD – in 2021.
Christine and then-husband Paddy were filming a documentary with children Penelope and Leo, 11, and Felicity, eight at the time. All three children also have autism.
On the ADHD Chatter podcast with Alex Partridge, Christine opened up about her social interactions over the years. She recalled growing up with a “fear of rejection” and a desperation to be liked, often prioritising others’ happiness over her own.
Alex asked the star if she “struggles to make friends”. She replied: “Yeah. Right now I have one, one very good close friend, Duncan, who I love so much and I appreciate and I hope I get to keep him forever as a friend.
“I tend to always have one friend, throughout life, throughout infant and junior school it was that one friend. And then when I went to senior school I had one friend, my twenties just one, and thirties now, yeah, Duncan.
“I don’t think it’s me, I don’t think I’m a bad person, a bad friend, but I can be extremely unreliable, I change plans a lot, I can be late, I forget to answer the phone, I forget to reply. So if Duncan was ever in a serious emergency, he probably knows not to call me. I’ve just got to the point now where I accept the way I am and I’m okay with the way I am and if that means that I haven’t got a long list of friends at my funeral one day, then that’s fine.”
Former Real Housewives of Cheshire star Christine has previously been open about her friendship with Blue star Duncan James. The pair met while filming ITV’s The Real Full Monty in 2021.
They bonded quite quickly and have since been on friend “dates” together, sparking speculation they were dating. However, Christine, who was married to comedian Paddy McGuinness, fired back on social media, reports the Manchester Evening News. She said: “When are people going to accept that men and women can be friends.”
After fans misinterpreted their outing as romantic, she explained: “It was my mate. Duncan’s my friend. Duncan’s got a gorgeous partner.
“I love them both. But yeah, I was only taking the p*** when I said ‘I’m on a date.'”
Following her split from Paddy in 2022, Christine has openly expressed readiness to explore new relationships, telling the Daily Star: “For so many years, I was being a mum and a wife. I was staying at home all the time. But now, my divorce is complete and I’m dating again. I’m having fun.”