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Paddy McGuinness’ wife Christine McGuinness diagnosed with ADHD: ‘It’s opened my life’Rachael O'Connor
Reality star Christine McGuinness has revealed she has been diagnosed with ADHD (Picture: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock)
Christine McGuinness has revealed she has been diagnosed with ADHD, which she says has ‘opened up’ her life.
The reality star, who is married to presenter Paddy McGuinness, has previously been diagnosed with autism, as have the couple’s three children.
Now Christine has opened up on her ADHD diagnosis and says it has finally given her answers.
Christine, 34, told The Daily Star: ‘I’ve now been diagnosed with ADHD, autism and dyspraxia.
‘Knowledge is key,’ she said. ‘If you know the situation, you’re able to deal with it. So getting a diagnosis has really opened up my life.’
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and may present differently in girls and women than in men and boys, meaning it can be difficult to receive a diagnosis, particularly later in life.
Christine, who is married to Top Gear presenter Paddy McGuinness, has welcomed the diagnosis (Picture: mrscmcguinness/Instagram )
For Christine, the diagnosis has been life-changing, as she admitted it has given her ‘more opportunity to understand why I was the way I was.’
It comes as the mum-of-three was diagnosed with autism last year after noticing similar patterns in her own behaviour to that of her children.
Paddy and Christine’s son Leo, eight, his twin sister Penelope, and their younger sister Felicity, six, have each been diagnosed with the condition, with Christine telling Metro.co.uk previously that it requires ’patience’ to parent a child with additional needs.
‘It’s just about taking things slowly and letting them lead when they are ready,’ she said at the time.
‘I’m trying not to push them too much where it’s going to cause a meltdown, but also pushing them in a way that encourages them to step out of their comfort zone sometimes.’
She revealed she had ‘never even heard of autism’ until their children were diagnosed, but found herself ‘relating to so much’ during the diagnosis process.
The couple’s three children have each been diagnosed with the condition (Picture: Instagram/Christine McGuinness )
She recalled doctors ‘used to talk about the socialising and I used to say, “Well, I never socialised, I didn’t have friends at school, I still don’t really have friends now.”’
Top Gear star Paddy, meanwhile, recently opened up on parenthood and said it was ‘the best thing that’s ever happened’ to him.
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Speaking to The Times, he said: ‘People need to stop being so judgmental about others with autism and assuming kids are just being unruly and naughty if they’re having a meltdown.’
He explained he tries to ‘educate’ people, ‘rather than rising to their ignorance.’
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