Christine McGuinness 'scared to date' after Paddy split as she walks out of Celebs Go Dating mixer

Christine McGuinness says the thought of going on a date “scares me so much” after splitting from Paddy McGuinness, as she took to the screen tonight for the new series of Celebs Go Dating but couldn’t face the show’s first task.

The mum-of-three admitted earlier this year that she had pulled out of the show shortly after filming began, with the first episode already showing her getting some cold feet.

“I got diagnosed with autism six years ago, it affects me a lot with socialising, it takes me a while to feel relaxed and be open to getting to know someone. The thought of going on a date scares me so much, it's all brand new for me but I'm in the best place for it,” Christine, 37, said just minutes into the show, before she was seen heading into a dating mixer with singles and fellow celebrities Kerry Katona, S Club 7's Jon Lee, Love Island star Olivia Hawkins and Too Hot To Handle's Louis Russell. The episode comes as Kerry Katona has revealed her devastating her health condition after split from ex-fiancé.

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Christine, who describes her sexuality as “free spirited” was seen getting to know both men and women during the mixer, but quickly found herself “freaked out”.

“Tonight, you’ll be making your first choices on your dates,” said the show’s relationship expert Paul C. Brunson as he arrived to the mixer with fellow experts Anna Williamson and Dr. Tara. “But there’s a catch. Your first date will be in a different country, in the beautiful Spanish island of Ibiza,” continued Paul, as the camera panned to a worried-looking Christine.

The thought of bringing someone abroad quickly had Christine in a spin, as she said to the camera, “How can I go abroad with someone that I don't even know? This is not normal.”

Pulling Kerry aside to confide in her, Christine said, “I need a minute, I can go for a minute, can't I?” as they headed for the stairs leading outside. “I need a minute. I don't want to just take someone away,” admitted Christine, as Kerry replied, “It’s a lot, isn’t it?”

Christine split from TV presenter Paddy, 51, in 2022 after 11 years of marriage, with the couple yet to share what led to the divorce. However, they remain living together in their Cheshire home for the sake of their three children; 12-year-old twins Leo and Penelope and youngest Felicity, 8, who have all been diagnosed with autism.

“We both know that we can date and we're allowed to. We're adults and we're single, so we can, but we also know that we don't need to overshare any information about anything because we are still exes and we are still living in the same house,” she said earlier this year of her relationship with Paddy.

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