After two years of heartache following her split from ex-husband Paddy, pals tell Closer that Christine McGuinness is in a happy place.
She was recently spotted jetting off to Ibiza with musician Roxxxan, later posting an Instagram story of her feet alongside another pair of legs which followers noted had the same tattoos as the rapper. Christine also recently shared an Instagram post captioned, ‘Dating since June 2024, surely that makes me a certified coach now’, sparking rumours that she’s officially moved on from her ex.
Last week Christine, 36, also set tongues wagging when she spoke about her new relationship, saying, ‘I met them on my birthday through mutual friends and we’ve been dating since June. It’s someone I know. There are no labels and that’s what’s been amazing. Paddy hasn’t met them. It’s still new and early days.’
In 2022, Paddy, 51, and Christine announced they were splitting after 11 years of marriage. Despite getting a divorce two years ago, the couple – who co-parent 11-year-old twins Penelope and Leo and seven-year-old daughter Felicity – still live in the same £2.1m Cheshire mansion together.
Of her living arrangements, she previously told Closer, ‘I don’t know how long it will last for, but while it’s working, we’re not in any rush to change it. I don’t want to move my children into separate houses – I don’t want to be dropping them off at Daddy’s for a couple of days, and then they’re back at Mummy’s, I don’t want to mess up their routine.’
A source now tells Closer that the living arrangement still suits the family, saying, ‘There is life after marriage – Paddy and Christine get on better now than when they were married.’
Our source explains, ‘Christine has the best of both worlds, she’s in a good place with Paddy and has also found her best friend who she calls her soul mate and partner-in-crime for life. Christine doesn’t do labels – life’s about finding a happy place, she doesn’t judge and won’t be judged – that’s where she is in her head these days. Her kids will always be her priority, as well as her mental health.’
Since her divorce, the former Real Housewives Of Cheshire star has been focused on parenting her three children – all of whom have autism – and hasn’t had much time for romance.
Christine previously told Closer, ‘This is the first time I’ve been completely on my own, and I’ve got time for myself, and that time is limited. I don’t know if I could offer enough to somebody to be in a relationship right now, and it’s not that I don’t want to. I know that I deserve love, and I love love, and think being around someone intimately and laughing and enjoying adult company is an amazing, magical thing to have in your life if you’ve got it.’
In 2023, the former Miss Liverpool was photographed kissing footballer and presenter Chelcee Grimes, 32, during a holiday in Ibiza, but they later unfollowed each other on social media. Christine is always tight-lipped about rumoured relationships, but a source tells us that her new joy could be related to her latest romantic spark.
‘Christine is literally glowing – that’s not all just her incredible regime she keeps. She hasn’t stopped beaming. She loves being in love – she never thought she would feel those butterflies again.’