Christine McGuinness accused Paddy of flirting with lookalike blonde TV star as their marriage collapsed
CHRISTINE McGuinness was “furious” after she accused hubby Paddy of secretly flirting with a second telly girl.
The ex-model, 34, confided in pals her suspicions he had got close to the blonde — after earlier being told he had kissed another TV star.
On Friday they announced their split after 11 years of marriage.
A source said: Christine was very hurt.”
Christine was left devastated when TV pals said of her hubby Paddy: “You do know what he’s been up to don’t you?’
They dropped the bombshell while model Christine was competing on ITV’s The Games.
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A source said: “She tried her best to laugh off the comments but she was very hurt.”
On Friday the couple announced their 11-year marriage was over but that they will still live together for the sake of their three children
Last week’s Sun on Sunday revealed the marriage had been rocked when Christine found out about an alleged snog involving Paddy as she filmed The Games in April.
The allegation about a second girl, a blonde said to be a lookalike for Christine, came while she was filming the same show in May.
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It finally led her to confront Top Gear and Take Me Out host Paddy, 48.
A source close to Christine said: “She was furious.
“She had a feeling for a while something wasn’t right.
“She was convinced that at the very least there was an attraction there.
“She felt hurt and betrayed. She didn’t want to react immediately, so she pretended she was none the wiser and gave herself some time to think and work out what to do.
“But it of course caused a lot of tension when things were already very difficult.
“Without trust, it was hard to see a way of making things work.”
Christine’s accusations came after Paddy and the (second girl) were said to have swapped jokes and banter on Twitter.
He denies flirting with the pretty star, who has worked in TV since 2015.
Friday’s announcement came hours after Paddy had shared a pic of the couple on a Center Parcs holiday last week.
Christine posted a pic from the break but without Paddy.
Earlier this month she admitted to Fabulous magazine about struggles in the marriage.
She said they were having a “difficult time” but stressed: “I didn’t cause this situation.”
Last night sources told how Christine’s suspicions of Paddy’s infidelity with the first TV star were made more painful by the widespread nature of the rumours.
One TV source said: “Christine spoke to several people on The Games who claimed the girl who Paddy had allegedly kissed was openly talking about it.
“She was shocked and so upset. Obviously it was humiliating that so many people in the TV industry seemed to be talking about her husband
“Some even said things like: ‘You do know what he’s been up to don’t you?’
“Christine tried her best to laugh off the comments but she was very hurt. At first she didn’t know what to believe but so many people were telling her the same thing.
“Luckily she’s got a great support network and made friends for life on the show.
“But she couldn’t believe it when her suspicions were then raised over a second girl.
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“And as time went on, her relationship with Paddy just became impossible. She just couldn’t keep pretending that everything was OK.”
Christine’s spokeswoman said: “She’s dealing with the breakdown of her marriage in private.”
Pair's split no surprise
IT came as no surprise to me to hear Paddy and Christine had announced their split.
I sat down with the former Miss Liverpool model just four weeks ago for an interview and picture shoot for a Fabulous Magazine cover in a studio in Salford, near her Cheshire home.
Before meeting her, I had expected the mother of three to laugh off the rumours that her marriage to the comedian and TV presenter was in trouble.
Instead, she opened up for the first time about their difficulties, stressing: “I will just say that I didn’t cause this situation.”
It was clear how hard she was finding the situation.
I noticed she played with her engagement ring as she paused numerous times to consider her words before answering my questions.
Unbeknown to me, she had already split from Paddy even though they were, and still are, living together under the same roof.
I wonder if she was still hoping that when he returned from Thailand where he was filming Top Gear, they would work out their difficulties and give it another go?
She enthusiastically told me — and later the make-up artist — how much they were looking forward to their second ever foreign family holiday in a couple of weeks (they ended up going to Center Parcs after realising one of their children didn’t have a passport).
Perhaps the hope of a reunion on the trip was why she held back from telling me they were no longer together?
She wrote in her autobiography A Beautiful Nightmare about how her own dysfunctional upbringing and absent father drove her desire to be a wife and maintain a two-parent family at home for their three autistic children
Despite pictures emerging in 2018 of Paddy arm-in-arm with Nicole Appleton, ending her marriage was never an option for her.
During the one-hour interview she seemed on the verge of tears.
I had to ask a couple of times if she was OK to continue.
As we finished, she thanked me for being kind and I offered to hug her because she seemed like she really needed someone to comfort her
Recently diagnosed with autism herself, Christine admitted she has always really struggled to make friends, so I really hope she has someone to look after her during this breakup.
She will certainly need that hug now.
