Paddy McGuinness is set to take to the field tonight for Soccer Aid.
The star-studded England vs Rest of The World match will feature a combination of legendary footballers and celebrities hoping to raise thousands of pounds for Unicef. The match is being broadcast live on ITV and will take place at Old Trafford stadium.
The charity game has been a huge success ever since the first edition was set up by Robbie Williams back in 2006. Paddy is England's goalkeeper this year and will be hoping to keep a clean sheet as they aim to bounce back from last year's penalty defeat.
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The comic has appeared in each edition of Soccer Aid and he told ITV why he's donning the goalkeeper gloves this time around. He said: He said: "I'm 49 now," says Paddy. "When I first started, I used to play 90 minutes. Then the next time I did 70 minutes, then 45. And I've gradually done less and less and less.
"So, when you're just over 49, it's like 'stick him in the net because he's knackered.' So that's what I'm doing. I'm going in the nets." However, Paddy still retains the same enthusiasm for Soccer Aid as he revealed why he still loves the charity event.
He said: "As a football fan, it's been amazing to be on the pitch with the likes of Zidane and Ronaldinho. "And, as well as that, I've played with A-listers like Will Ferrell, Mike Myers and all these different people who come together for UNICEF.
"It's such a great charity and means a lot to any parent. So if you can help out and raise a few quid, it's great to be part of."
Away from the pitch, Paddy is the proud dad of three children, Felicity, Leo and Penelope. The children have all been diagnosed with autism and the Top Gear host regularly uses his social media platforms to raise awareness of what it is like to live with the condition.
The 49-year-old shares the three children with former Miss Liverpool, Christine McGuinness, who has also been diagnosed as autistic. Paddy and Christine separated last July but have remained living together to keep a stable environment for their children.
Christine has previously told Lorraine Kelly: "We want to keep things the same as much as possible for the children, I don't want anything to affect them. We are family and we'll always be family no matter what and we're living in a nice, happy home."
Paddy and Christine took the children on a family holiday last month and fans were in hysterics as he revealed rainy conditions plagued their sunny getaway. However, glorious conditions eventually did arrive and Paddy took to Instagram to share his pride at how the children handled travelling abroad.
He said: "Back home from a wonderful 5 days away with the kids. We’re so proud of how well they did at the airport, this was the first time they’d been on a plane since 2019. They absolutely loved their holiday!"
Christine added: "Lovely family holiday. Loads of you have asked how the kiddies got on (it’s their first trip abroad in 4 years, they don’t really enjoy travel or change) but with lots of prep and patience they done incredibly well and have absolutely loved it!"
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