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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Victoria Johns

Christine McGuinness 'overwhelmed' as she shares parenting update with autistic children

Christine McGuinness told fans she was "overwhelmed" as she took her three children to school this morning.

The wife of Top Gear host, Paddy McGuinness, 34, is autistic and so are her twins Leo, Penelope, eight and daughter Felicity, five.

Christine has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the condition and has now shared another moving story.

Taking to Instagram sharing a snap of her children in their school uniforms, she said: "Something happened this morning I can’t explain, an overwhelming feeling of love, happiness, strength and purpose just walking behind these three I teared up but felt so happy.

"I’ll be honest, I’ve been dreading today. Today I’ve got a 3hr school meeting going over the children's EHCPs (education, health and care plan).

Christine said she was "so proud to be their mummy" (mrsmcguinness/Instagram)
The model was diagnosed with autism last year (Instagram/ @mrscmcguinness)

"For me, I sometimes find long meetings quite daunting and I get burnt out and drained talking and staying focused for so long.
But when I walked behind them, listening to them chat together about their day ahead I felt so proud and lucky."

The Games star explained the meetings were important for her children's growth and independence and advised parents in a similar situation to "fight" for their child's rights.

"We still have a long way to go but these three are thriving. I’m grateful beyond words to have a school that truly understands and supports them," she said.

Paddy and his wife made a documentary about autism (instagram)

Christine ended the caption with: "So proud to be their mummy."

The model's positive post was met with a flurry of approval from fans.

One said: "They're lucky to have such an amazing mum."

While another wrote: "I’m Autistic too so I’m routing for you today, it’s tough but there’s no doubt you’re the best advocate for your children."

Christine praised her children's school (Instagram)

Christine was diagnosed with autism last year after she claimed her husband Paddy already knew.

Writing in her book A Beautiful Nightmare, she said: "I have been confirmed as autistic. It’s strange, but I’ve noticed there are little hints throughout my life that I’m autistic and more like my children than I ever could have imagined.

"My issues with food, my social ­struggles, how hard I find it to make friends and stay focused, and my indecisiveness. The way I float through life reminds me of how my eldest daughter Penelope is.

She has been praised for raising awareness about the condition (mrscmcguinness/Instagram)
The model claimed Paddy already knew she was autistic (mrsmcguinness/Instagram)

"It all makes sense now. And as much as I’m not totally surprised, it’s still been emotional for me to accept, but it’s a relief as well."

Paddy and Christine made a documentary about autism for the BBC called Our Family and Autism.

The couple were praised for shedding light on the condition which is said to affect around 700,000 people in the UK.

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