Christine McGuinness has revealed that she’s autistic.
The model has been actively campaigning for autism awareness in recent years as her three young children – Felicity, Leo and Penelope – have all been diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental disorder.
In an exclusive extract from her new book, Christine McGuinness: A Beautiful Nightmare, published by the Mirror, the 33-year-old shared she has also been “confirmed as autistic”.
She writes: “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 Âstruggles, 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.”
“It all makes sense now. And as much as I’m not totally surprised, it’s still been emotional for me to accept, but it’s a relief as well.”
Christine was diagnosed in August after she and her husband Paddy were invited to meet expert Sir Simon Baron-Cohen at Cambridge University.
She recalled: “Patrick and I filled out what’s called an AQ questionnaire. It tests for symptoms of autism. While lots of people might carry a few traits, to actually be classed as autistic you’re required to score a high number, and I did.”
“The scale goes from zero to 50 and the average Âneurotypical person would score up to 15. While my husband was bang-on average, mine was 36, which is high.”
Christine was officially diagnosed two weeks later.
She said: “I broke down in floods of tears. I think it’s because the news conjured up a mixture of emotions and while I’m not totally shocked and it’s a relief, I’m just really sad for my younger self.”
“Because of my inability to concentrate and my hatred for my school, I left with no GCSEs. I was more than capable of sitting the exams, but I just couldn’t be in that exam hall.”
Christine also revealed her husband had suspected she might be autistic, but never told her until after she was diagnosed.
She said: “I wasn’t sure how he’d react [to my diagnosis], but when I told him he said he expected it and he’d suspected I was autistic for years – he never thought to tell me.”
“Patrick was always conscious that I was a bit different and had my little quirks, but he never understood exactly what it was.”
“There are times when he gets really frustrated with me, for example when it takes me hours to get ready. Not even when I’m getting fully glammed up, but simple things like picking between two plain T-shirts, and not being able to decide which one to wear.”
Christine revealed her diagnosis has helped her understand her struggles with socialising and eating.
She said: “I made every single excuse not to leave the house and socialise. I understand now it’s because I’m autistic, and it’s much easier to stay in and not have to deal with the real world when you’ve got autism.”
“Even my food struggles I’ve had throughout my life make sense to me now. I’ve only tried green food, like broccoli, over the last couple of years. I can eat it, because I know I’ve got to be healthy, but I never once tried colourful food until my 30s. It’s quite common for autistic people to favour beige food.”
The model mum continued: “I am the best version of me when I’m with my children and that’s probably because we’re all autistic. The four of us are quite happy to stay in and sometimes not talk to each other. It’s when I’m out and about that my autistic mind really goes into overdrive.”
“I’m trying to see my Âdiagnosis as a Âpositive thing – at least I know for definite. In fact, there are lots of upsides to being autistic, just like there are with the three kiddies.”
“I’m quite creative and artistic, and I enjoy doing crafts and painting with the children.”
