THEY’VE had one of the strongest showbiz marriages in recent years, but now it seems Christine and Paddy McGuiness have hit the rocks.
The pair have been spotted spending time apart, including separate holidays and the former model has claimed she “didn’t put us in this situation,” in a cryptic Instagram post.
The pair have been married for 11 years and have three children together[/caption]
Things have appeared to be going badly recently with Christine posting cryptic messages[/caption]
Paddy has rocked their marriage in previous years and he left his wife feeling sick after photos of him holding hands with Nicole Appleton emerged in 2018.
Relationship psychologist Emma Kenny gives her verdict on if the new secret issues are the end of the road for the couple.
Blurred lines
Christine and Paddy McGuinness have been in the spotlight together for over a decade, and understandably this takes its toll.
Public scrutiny is difficult to manage on a psychological level and when you have lived a part of your life on social media, and shared emotional parts of your story online, it means that the boundary between personal and private life inevitably becomes blurred.
READ MORE ABOUT CHRISTINE
Whilst some may feel that sharing relationship ups and downs should be a private matter, for celebrities who have received a great deal of love and support from their cyber communities, it feels important.
As parents, Paddy and Christine have done a great deal to raise awareness around autism.
Their 3 children have this condition, and Christine herself was diagnosed as an adult when she was 33.
Research evidences that when you add any additional stressors into a relationship, you increase the potential for problems.
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Paddy and Christine have had their fair share of these and this sadly means that their relationship has been tested, but their current issues seem to be less about there being a villain in the piece, and more to do with the pressures and pitfalls that they have faced as a family.
Christine has been posting messages on social media that have led to speculation about their marriage, she has admitted that times have been difficult of late, and suggested that she is concentrating on her reinvention right now.
Whilst this could indeed point to a breakdown in her relationship with Paddy, it could also symbolise a gradual sense of realisation that she needs to concentrate on her own needs.
Prioritising own needs
Christine went on a girls holiday without Paddy for the first time[/caption]
Up until this point she has been taking care of everyone else, but her new friendships have encouraged her to see life from a new perspective resulting in her wanting more on a personal level.
If Christine can acknowledge that she has a right to have her needs met, and if she and Paddy can continue to weather the inevitable storms that being in the media and having a family with additional needs presents, then their relationship could grow in trust and resilience.
Marriage is a tough gig, and there will be moments in every successful relationship where each partner questions their feelings, and their relationship in general, this is normal, because a great relationship survives in spite of conflict.
After 14 years together, they certainly evidence the love and staying power that is required to succeed in long-term relationships
From the social-media messages that Christine has shared, it appears that their relationship may be in crisis, the comments regarding how trust has been broken, and in particular the cryptic statement that makes it clear that she is not the issue in the marriage point to a new and problematic phase in a once harmonious partnership.
For many years, Paddy and Christine have shared their most intimate marriage details, they have praised one another, and stood strong as they faced their trials and tribulations.
Every relationship encounters problems, and every relationship is tested”
Emma Kenny
The public have been privy to their highs and lows, and inescapably have noticed the change in Christine’s tone. It goes without saying that every relationship encounters problems, and every relationship is tested, but if trust is an issue, it can be hard to regain the status quo.
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Christine appears to be growing, changing and building in her personal resilience, and whilst this can be a painful process, it is also a liberating one.
She is making new friends, travelling without Paddy to new places and sharing her individual journey, and whilst this may signal a change, or end in her marriage, it may also symbolise a progressive and resilient stage in Christine’s life.
The pair have had happier times before things seemingly hit the rocks[/caption]
