Paddy and Christine McGuinness spending Christmas together for the sake of their kids
Christine McGuinness has revealed she will be spending Christmas with her estranged husband, Paddy McGuiness, for the sake of their children.
The couple announced their split back in 2022, 11 years after tying the knot, but have maintained an amicable relationship while they co-parent their three children, twins Leo and Penelope, eleven, and eight-year-old Felicity.
Despite their split, the exes are doing their best to put their kids first, which is one of the reasons they will be spending the festive period together as a family.
"The last thing we want to do is upset our children over Christmas, so we’ll make sure we’re all together," Christine told Woman’s Own. "It will be a quiet one. We always try to keep it quiet, because the children can get quite overwhelmed with the changes. So we try to keep it like a normal day but with presents."
Following their split the couple decided to take the unconventional step of continuing to live together in their family home, with Christine revealing it "really works" for them, sharing "We are very close, we're family no matter what."
In a recent interview the mum-of-three stressed that the decision to continue living together was primarily for the sake of their children. "It’s the one thing that we completely agree on – the children’s needs come first," she told The Sun. "We don’t want them to be affected by anything."
How to spend Christmas together after a split
The McGuinnesses aren't the only celebrity couple who have previously opted to spend Christmas together despite a break up.
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow famously spent their first Christmas as a separated couple together with their children on a Caribbean island.
Seal and his former wife Heidi Klum also reportedly spend the festive season together for the sake of their children.
Behavioural change expert, Christine Wright, previously told Yahoo UK there can be many benefits of split couples hosting Christmas together including providing the opportunity to create new traditions and showing children that regardless of the breakdown in the relationship, healthy familial habits are still being instilled.
"Children can see that split parents can be civil to each other, which only strengthens the bonds, and communication and makes them feel safer," she explains.
But while some estranged parents are able to put their differences to one side during the festive period, it isn't always easy.
We spoke to the experts for some advice about navigating a family Christmas when you're no longer a couple.
Plan in advance
Planning and discussing the day beforehand will save a lot of stress on the day. Relationship expert, Tina Wilson, suggests having set times and sticking to them. "Don’t just drop by," she advises. "If the children open their presents at 7am invite your ex from 7-9am. Unless you are willing to extend the invite for the whole day then it does become more complicated. You'll also need to consider if your ex has a new partner and what their situation is."
Try to avoid conflict
Christmas is notoriously tricky in provoking arguments, and while it may be easier said than done with emotions running high it is best to try to avoid confrontation as much as possible while the family is together.
"For the sake of any children involved, it is always best to keep any drama away for the short time period, to keep things light and happy for all concerned," Wilson explains.
Parenting expert Amanda Jenner echos the sentiment that disagreements should be kept away from the festivities. "Children pick up any tension between parents so it's so important not to argue or voice any opinions as this will really impact on their day," she adds.
"Put your focus on your children and creating a happy environment, set your boundaries beforehand and make a pact not to discuss any issues that you may be having during your separation."
Inform the wider family of your plans
Often other family members may express opinions about your plans for a post-split family Christmas, but Jenner suggests staying firm in the face of any negativity or raised eyebrows.
"The best way to deal with this is to let your family know what your wishes are," she explains. "Tell them this is what you will be doing as it's in the best interests of your children and it's not open for discussion.
"Then ask them to be mindful of the situation over the festive period."
Read more about Christmas and parenting:
How I managed to spend just £26 on each of my children's Christmas presents (Yahoo Life, 5-min read)
13 practical ways to save money on Christmas dinner as costs rise 6.5% (Yahoo Life, 6-min read)
Six tips for helping your children navigate divorce at Christmas (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
