Christine McGuinness has spoken up about her divorce from husband Paddy and her anxieties about dating in the future.
The 34-year-old claimed she was ‘terrified’ of initiating new relationships after 11 years of marriage.
She had been with her ex-husband since she was 19 years old, and they have twins Penelope and Leo, nine, and Felicity, six, all of whom have autism.
Christine said that her concerns about seeing someone new stemmed from the fact that she ‘doesn’t like change,’ and that seeing someone else would be frightening for her.
The reality star told The Times: ‘I’ve had this man in my life for 15 years.
‘I can’t imagine being with anybody else. I don’t know what it’s like to date; I can’t remember what it’s like to be single.
‘I am going into a new chapter on my own, which is petrifying for someone who doesn’t like change.
‘I’m proud that I have made a decision and stuck to it – for once. That’s not easy for me to do.
‘But I always want to lead by example, to show my children that Mummy is independent and works’.
She continued explaining: ‘I want them to know that when they are older and in a relationship that it needs to be a loving, happy relationship and no one should stay where they don’t feel that it’s 100 per cent right.
‘I did, because there were times when I was really happy and I wanted to keep the family together.’
Christine’s remarks come after she confessed that her children had no idea she had divorced Paddy, 49, because they still lived together.
She told Women’s Own: ‘The children don’t know any different and they’re growing up in a happy and loving home – I just want it to continue like that.
‘We don’t know what the future holds but right now it works.
‘The thought of eventually co-parenting in separate houses is something I’m going to really struggle with.’
The mother of three frequently posts photos of her children, but she blurs or conceals their faces to protect their identity.