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Life

02nd Dec 2021

Viewers moved by Christine McGuiness’s reaction to autism diagnosis

Sarah McKenna Barry

Many fans heaped praise on Christine for sharing her own experience.

Last night, a once-off documentary about Christine McGuiness aired on BBC.

Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism gave viewers an insight into the family’s life. The couple have three autistic children, and recently, Christine shared that she had been diagnosed with autism.

In an extract from her new book, the model wrote: “I have been confirmed as autistic. It’s strange, but I’ve noticed there are little hints throughout my life that I’m autistic and more like my children than I ever could have imagined.

“My issues with food, my social ­struggles, how hard I find it to make friends and stay focused, and my indecisiveness. The way I float through life reminds me of how my eldest daughter Penelope is.”

She also wrote that she is the best version of herself when she is with her children, and she credits that to the fact that they are all neurodiverse.

During the documentary, Christine reacts to her diagnosis by saying that she feels she “faked” her whole life.

Over on social media, many viewers shared that they felt Christine’s experience resonated with their own.

One wrote: “The raw emotion is powerful to see. I love seeing Paddy and Christine being so open about their thoughts. Everyone is at different stages of their journey.”

Another tweeted: “‘I faked a whole life.’ Makes me so sad to hear this. This honesty is wonderful and sad.”

A third viewer added: “Seeing Christine struggle with her emotions there hits so close to home. It’s been 12 years since I was diagnosed and I still sometimes think, ‘Is it just me being difficult here?'”

Another commented on the tendency for women with autism to be overlooked when it comes to diagnosis.

They wrote: “So many women like Christine, undiagnosed autistic. Super maskers totally under the radar.”

One viewer shared that they felt emotional watching the documentary. They said: “Amazing programme for BBC on autism and living with autism.. Had a few tears thinking about the things we’ve been through and going with our daughter… I wouldn’t change her for the world, but I’d change the world for her.”