Christine McGuinness has opened up about her current battle with anxiety and admitted the first step into the spotlight was stressful.
The model, 36, has credited her close friend Duncan James, 46, for helping her overcome her fears after the couple met in 2021 while taking part in ITV’s The Real Full Monty.
Christine explained that “getting naked didn’t scare her” on the show, where celebrities get naked on stage to raise awareness for cancer charities, but the acting part worried her.
she said daily star sunday: ‘When we started, I was very nervous. It wasn’t so much getting naked that scared me, but rather performing on stage.
“But then Duncan put his arm around me and said, ‘Come on, you’re going to be okay,’ and that really helped. We did it and we had fun.”
Both Christine and Duncan have struggled with mental health, including anxiety and depression, which has strengthened their friendship.
Christine McGuinness has opened up about her current battle with anxiety and admitted the first step into the spotlight was nerve-wracking.
The model, 36, has credited her close friend Duncan James, 46, for helping her overcome her fears after the couple met in 2021 while taking part in ITV’s The Real Full Monty.
Christine added that she’s glad she’s not alone struggling with anxiety and that it’s comforting to have someone to “talk to.”
He continued: ‘Many people suffer from anxiety. It’s horrible. I really struggle with that when I walk red carpets. But knowing that Duncan has experienced it too really helps. I think, ‘Thank God, it’s not just me.’ We’ve talked about things and that really helps.’
Duncan added: ‘Talking to Christine has helped me learn a lot about myself. She’s brilliant.’
Christine, who is autistic, explained that having Duncan by her side has made things “a lot easier to deal with.”
The duo recently put their friendship to the test on Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted, which Christine also said helped her gain confidence.
It comes after Christine confirmed she will be spending Christmas with her ex-husband Paddy.
The model separated from former Take Me Out host Paddy in 2021 after just over a decade of marriage.
But now he has revealed that they will spend the holidays together for the sake of their children; twins Penelope and Leo, 11, and Felicity, eight.
She said: ‘When we started, I was very nervous. It wasn’t so much getting naked that scared me, but rather performing on stage. But then Duncan put his arm around me and said, ‘Come on, you’re going to be okay,’ and that really helped.”
Both Christine and Duncan have struggled with mental health, including anxiety and depression, which has strengthened their friendship.
Christine added that she’s glad she’s not alone struggling with anxiety and that it’s comforting to have someone to “talk to.”
Christine previously admitted the children don’t know their parents have split up and has now said she doesn’t want to “bother” them at Christmas.
she said Woman’s own: ‘The last thing we want to do is bother our children during Christmas, so we’ll make sure we’re all together.
It will be quiet. We always try to keep it quiet, because children can get quite overwhelmed with the changes.
“So we try to make it like a normal day but with gifts.”
Last year, Christine and Paddy got together to celebrate the twins’ 10th birthday.
Christine could be seen having a lot of fun jumping on a huge bouncy castle that she and Paddy had rented for the day.
The doting mom captioned the sweet post with, “Celebrating my twins’ 10th birthday, double figures, double love.” Leo and Penelope, they changed my world for the better. I am so proud of you two and feel extremely grateful that I get to be your mom and you will be my babies forever.
‘If there was ever a day I wanted to share a photo of them it’s today!’ But when they are old enough they will be able to decide for themselves. “I can tell you that they are getting very tall, their smiles are just beautiful and they have the most beautiful brown eyes I have ever seen.”
It comes after Christine confirmed she will be spending Christmas with her ex-husband Paddy, who she split from in 2021 after just over a decade of marriage; in the photo 2019
Christine has revealed that they will spend the holidays together for the sake of their children; twins Penelope and Leo, 11, and Felicity, eight
In June, the former Real Housewives star admitted that she was very cautious about putting herself back out on the market, especially since she had never dated strangers before.
she said Sunday’s mirror: ‘I started dating in June and it’s the first time I’ve gone out in my life, which is very scary. Even when I was younger I ended up hanging out with people I was already friends with.
“So dating people you don’t know yet is completely new to me and I’m doing it when I’m thirty for the first time.
“I avoided doing it for as long as possible because I know I’m not in a position to be in a serious relationship.”