Christine McGuinness admits 'frustrating' health battle that left her 'embarrassed'

Christine McGuinness has opened up on the health issuethat is challenging her everyday life. She has candidly revealed how the situation left her hands seizing up with no warning earlier this year while trying to get her daughter ready for school.

She admits that at first she thought nothing of the issue and put it down to being clumsy. However, the Real Housewives of Cheshire star soon realised it was more than that as it kept on happening.

Christine, 37, began to notice that any stressful scenario or last-minute change of plan could trigger the ailment which saw her fingers turn white and numb. She was also unable to move them.

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And she admits the situation is "frustrating and upsetting" add that she often has no choice but to stop and wait for the uncomfortable moment to pass. Sometimes, she admits, this isn't that easy due to her busy lifestyle in work and as a mother of three.

As the issue continued, Christine decided to get medical advice in May and was diagnosed with Raynaud's syndrome. According to the NHS, Raynaud's affects your blood circulation and coldness, stress or anxiety can see your fingers and toes change colour.

It can also affect tiny arteries in the nose, ears and tongue. Other symptoms include pain, numbness and pins and needles and it's said flare ups can last from a few minutes to an hour.

Christine says she sometimes feels embarrassed or disappointed when she has a flare up. Speaking to Femail, she said she feels "as if I’ve caused it by not managing my stress or self-care well enough".

"The hardest part is that they can stop me in my tracks until the symptoms settle, which leaves me feeling like I’ve let myself down."

She explained how her symptoms seem to show up at times she is most stressed. And she admitted she was shocked to discover stress and possibly PTSD can be a cause of the ailment.

"It was as if all the strain my nervous system had been carrying finally spilled over into something I couldn’t ignore," she continued. "I do feel that I may have elements of PTSD, though I can’t attribute it to just one cause."

She then candidly opened up on her past traumas growing up, saying at times in childhood she "didn't want to wake up in the morning". The model also said she was bullied at school and developed anorexia as a teenager.

Later in life she met and married comedian Paddy McGuinness. The pair divorced in 2022.

Speaking on how her past could have affected her Raynaud's, she added: "For anyone who has lived through a difficult childhood, an eating disorder, sexual abuse, the breakdown of a marriage and a heartbreaking divorce, alongside the daily challenges that come with being a neurodivergent mum juggling work life and other personal traumas that may never be spoken about – it inevitably takes its toll. My body is showing me that."

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