This summer Christine and Paddy McGuinness announced on social media they had gone their separate ways.
And five months on, when we chat to Christine for our festive shoot, the mum of three, who shares children, twins Leo and Penelope, nine, and six year old Felicity with the TV presenter, told us their children don't know that their parents have separated.
When asked if the children are aware, she said: “No, not at all, they’re so young. I’m trying to just stick to their normal routine – take them to school in the morning, pick them up, try to work while they’re at school and take them to after-school clubs and just try to stick to normal life as much as possible.
“I love being a mum and I’m so happy that I’ve got the children – that’s just the biggest blessing in my whole life and certainly the biggest blessing to come out of my marriage,” she said.
“I’m going to love these babies forever – that’s my little family forever, it’s gorgeous. I can’t complain about that. That’s what I’ve got at the end of it, so I’m happy and lucky.”
And despite their split, it’s clear the couple are determined to put their kids first, which is one of the reasons they will be spending Christmas together as a family.
“That’s what the children are used to,” she explained. “We don’t know what the future holds or how it’s going to be moving forward, but we’ll try and keep things as normal as possible.
"We’re amicable. I’m quite happy for him to be there with the children and it’s nice for them to see Mummy and Daddy just being alright. We can sit and have a cup of tea together and that’s fine.
“I would never let the children be aware of anything other than us being happy and alright, because they’re so young and innocent.”
While she says the split has been "heartbreaking at times" she's very much looking towards the future and "focusing on the positives."
Next year brings lots of exciting things for Christine, including a documentary on autism and her first children's book will be hitting the shelves.
While Christine, who was diagnosed with autism last year, has found that since it was confirmed she has the condition is able to manage her symptoms better and her three children, who are all also autistic, have come on leaps and bounds recently too.
“Just yesterday I took the children to another child’s birthday party, which was something I used to avoid because I know that birthday parties can trigger meltdowns,” she said.
“They get overwhelmed with balloons and music and flashing lights – it’s a sensory overload for them.
“But I’ve just tried to be selective and say ‘yes’ to invitations where I think it might be suitable for them, or if I know it’s going to be a quieter party. And just by doing that this year, they’re coping so much better. They’re maturing, they’re learning how to control themselves and manage their own feelings better.”
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