Christine McGuinness Opens Up On Her Austim Journey & Moving On From Ex-Husband Paddy | Loose Women

within a very special panel with Judy talking about her diagnosis of autism in her old age and since then she has continued to raise awareness about something that she and her three children live with as a mother. She absolutely petrifies me. My biggest fear is that one day he will leave my children behind. Children are considered different because they are all autistic and so am I and I have often received comments like I bet you wish there was a cure or something to fix your children and really no, I think every child is a miracle. Yes, but it makes me want to be here forever because they are so magical.

Oh, we're here to tell you more about how to use your experience as inspiration for something very special. I'm Christine McGinness, it's a pleasure to see you as always, um, the clip that we showed was from a show called Pilgrimage that starts this week and it was a pretty special experience for you, wasn't it? Because you've talked before about struggling with friendship and you actually became quite close with some of the other people. who was on the show, yeah, yeah, it was absolutely amazing to me. I struggled to make friends throughout school throughout my 20s. It's only been in the last few years since my diagnosis that I've really understood the reasons why I struggle to make friends. and I understood what I can do to help.

I know I have to do it. I have to try. I have to communicate. I have to get in touch with yourself and other people. You have to respond to text messages. You have to plan things to keep the friendship going and it's only in the last few years that I've fully understood that, yes and of course as you've just seen my three children are all autistic and have a hard time making friends. um, I want to have friends now, yeah. I have, I have and I want my children to look at mom and see that mom is making friends and mom goes to work and you know that mom is okay so that they are okay, it's for them everything I do is for them and for me. actively going and trying to make friends and maintain friendships is for me, kids we met two years ago, remember the games and I used to come to this?

It's like a very busy cantina area and everyone else, the rest of the cast, being there just chatting and really comfortable in each other's space. I would make any excuse to go for a drive in the car. You remember every day of SLE. You remember that SP she went to. Yes, she just disappeared, but it was because I really didn't. I understand what they're all talking about and chatting about and they were laughing and I felt so uncomfortable so I was like, "I'm going to go and make some calls or I'm going to come in on you." I know I'll have lunch in the car but on the pilgrimage I had to stay with everyone I had to stay with the whole cast I had to eat with everyone and it's the first time I've actually done that and everyone was so understanding and It was so lovely and they asked me questions like , do you know why you're eating plain pasta when we're all eating a three-course meal?

And I explained to them that I have sensory issues with food and instead of it going away on its own. and they were really very kind and understanding and that made me realize how important friends are and also being open instead of hiding, which you know you were doing when you were working with Liv, but that the idea of ​​how to make friends is important. Making friends is something you address in your book, right? The magic is you, the magic is me, yes, and always inspired by my children, I wanted to write a book where they could feel represented and understood and for other children to do so. they knew how important your role is to be a friend, to be a good friend to my children and for my children to give that back to them, it's so wonderful and magical and like I said, just in the last few years I've made good friends. and because Duncan Duncan from Blue is one of my closest friends, we go running together, we hunt celebrities and having him by my side now I'm doing a lot more, we gave a prize together last week and because I have a good friend and I think, wow , if I had had that when I was younger, how much more water are we consuming, that's why I wrote the book because I think children themselves aren't praised enough for just being there for each other. others and the story is that they are looking for magic, they embark on this incredible adventure and they don't really understand what magic is and magic is friendship between little children.

I think the brilliant thing about the book is that even though you know your children have autism, I think what you were saying was quite true in terms of children's understanding of friendship, was that the idea of ​​whether you want it to be expand to everyone and not specifically just children with autism, yes, yes, definitely. means for autistic children or any child with additional needs. I think additional help and support from payers is really, really important. I just think that for all kids to know that being there for others is amazing, it's amazing to get that support from Someone so small and so young and Al can make a big difference.

The children in the book are autistic. One of the characters fights a little more and the other helps them along the way and cheers them on, and that really goes a long way. I think in real life I see the difference with my young children, they are in a very good school where all the children are encouraged to support each other and understand each other, and you know, as we have talked about before, we live in a huge, big, diverse world, we need it to be completely inclusive, we need it to be understood and accepted and everyone, regardless of their additional needs or who they are, we all need to be able to feel comfortable being ourselves and accepting each other.

I guess I want to say that I don't have kids, but I hope that the time that your kids are growing up now is very different than when we were in school because I feel like, especially with you, autism, I have ADHD, which presents in different ways and when I was in school, you know, I did all those masking techniques to try to control it and hide because there was just no that kind of um, there was no celebration of being different, it was like you did it. fit into this box and everyone has to behave a certain way and if you don't behave like other people it's a bit like but I guess I hope the world is changing and the work that you've done talking about autism and you guys doing that special, you know , talking about neurodiversity, that all of that is so important and I think I mean, I think a lot of us can see within you a greater sense of confidence, you know, and that beautiful smile of yours. it just exudes confidence, I think what was maybe missing before, I mean your new life, and you know the changes at home and what do you feel like the confidence has helped you juggle the changes in your life better, yeah.

I definitely think I'm more comfortable with myself. I don't think it's a lot of confidence, it's just that I feel comfortable being me. I'm trying not to pretend so much. I'm trying not to be like other people. and he really helped me a lot and I think you know my mom is one of my biggest inspirations in life, she is the strongest woman and now, and it's because of him that I know that I will always be okay, no matter what I do. Be okay, she always told me since she was young, just be yourself, that's so Beau, so let's just be ourselves, well, no, oh, I can see that sparkle in your eyes.

Precious to yours, are you ready to start dating or is it something like that? and you know what I think, it's very important for me to take this time now to be with myself and it may sound very boring, but I'm still getting to know myself. I was diagnosed a few years ago, but I want to spend time with myself when I'm not with my kids I'm at work those little bits of tiny space that I have where it's not me I just want to be with me I've always been alone and I'm very happy and company, yes, but We love that you're joining us on today's panel.

Thank you so much. Now, if you want more information about autism or any of today's discussions, you can visit the icv website, helplines iv.com.