'There's nothing we could have done differently': Christine McGuinness admits she and husband Paddy 'blamed themselves' after their children were diagnosed with autism

By Callum Wells For Mailonline

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Christine and Paddy McGuinness have admitted they blamed themselves after their twins Leo and Penelope, eight, along with Felicity, five, were all diagnosed with autism.

The presenter, 48, and his reality star wife, 33, recently embarked on an investigative BBC documentary, Our Family and Autism, in order to learn more about the disorder.

It came to light during production that the former Real Housewives Of Cheshire star was autistic herself, which caused her to 'put to bed' any of her parental worries.

Candid: In their new BBC documentary, Our Family and Autism, in which they learn more about the disorder, Paddy reflected on how he felt when doctors diagnosed his children

Candid: Christine and Paddy McGuinness have admitted they blamed themselves after their twins Leo and Penelope, eight, along with Felicity, five, were diagnosed with autism

She admitted the pair had been 'constantly asking themselves' whether they had done something wrong, whether it be a vaccine given to their little ones as a baby or a lack of social interaction in their early developmental years.

She told The Telegraph: 'So when they weren't speaking, socialising and weren't eating food, I instantly blamed myself.

'But Simon [Baron-Cohen, professor at Cambridge University] has done all these studies over the years and it was clear it was genetics.

'Now I know there's nothing we could have done differently. Our children were born autistic and so was I.'

Doting mum: Speaking ahead of their BBC documentary, the couple said that it also came to light that Christine is autistic herself, which caused her to 'put to bed' any of her worries

Doting mum: Speaking ahead of their BBC documentary, the couple said that it also came to light that Christine is autistic herself, which caused her to 'put to bed' any of her worries

Gaining an insight: The parents admitted they blamed themselves after their three children were all diagnosed with autism

Detectives: The presenter and his reality star wife recently embarked on an investigative BBC documentary, Our Family and Autism, in order to learn more about the disorder

Having chosen to become a stay-at-home mum while Paddy worked away 'so much', the former Miss Liverpool said she had been 'so reclusive in their early years'.

She recently shed light on her autism diagnosis and detailed 'having no friends' in her new book Christine McGuinness: A Beautiful Nightmare. 

Autism refers to a broad range of conditions characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.

The model also told the Loose Women panel that she has 'never been very social' and doesn't have many friends, having struggled in school - all symptoms which she believes transpire from her recently-diagnosed autism.

Open book: She admitted the pair had been 'constantly asking themselves' whether they had done something wrong, whether it be a vaccine given to their little ones as a baby or a lack of social interaction in their early developmental years

Open book: She admitted the pair had been 'constantly asking themselves' whether they had done something wrong, whether it be a vaccine given to their little ones as a baby or a lack of social interaction in their early developmental years 

Christine first made the admission in her book, writing: '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.'

Speaking about the social element, she said during the episode: 'I've never been very social, I don't really have a lot of friends. But I think I come across as quite confident and that I can speak to anybody, I can hold a conversation...

'But building a friendship - if someone said, 'Do you want to go to lunch?' I'd be thinking, "I can't now."

Nadia Sawalha asked why she felt like that and Christine revealed: 'I'm always worried that I don't really know what to say...

'I used to worry about going to events with my husband… big events, I would worry just being in a room with hundreds of people I don't know...

'I would sit with my head down or make excuses to leave the room because I was finding it all quite overwhelming, and now I understand it's because I'm autistic.'

Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism airs on Wednesday December 1 at 9pm on BBC One.

What is autism? 

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can cause a wide range of symptoms, which are often grouped into two main categories.

Firstly, problems with social interaction and communication.

This includes difficulty understanding and being aware of other people's emotions and feelings and/or problems taking part in, or starting, conversations.

Patterns of thought are another key area, namely restricted and repetitive patterns of thought or physical movement, such as hand tapping or twisting, and becoming upset if these set routines are disrupted.

It's estimated about 1 in every 100 people in the UK has ASD. More boys are diagnosed with it than girls.

There is no cure for ASD, but a range of educational and behavioural support programmes can help people with the condition.

Paddy McGuinnessBBC

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