Inside Paddy McGuinness' life off-screen including tough marriage breakdown

Paddy McGuinness quizzed on 'growing old' by Kate Garraway

TV star and actor Paddy McGuinness has been on our TV screens for more than 20 years thanks to a string of successful shows. The Take Me Out host and Top Gear presenter is famous for his appearances in the comedy series That Peter Kay Thing and the sitcoms Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.

He transitioned to TV presenting with the dating show Take Me Out, 71 Degrees North, Paddy's TV Guide, I Can See Your Voice and the revamped Question of Sport. Paddy McGuinness will appear on Who Do You Think You Are and discover he has Irish ancestors who were neighbours with US President Joe Biden’s family.

51-year-old Paddy visited Ireland and said he felt "a connection" to the country but remarked he always felt "ignorant" when visiting due to a lack of knowledge about his ancestry. But what do we know about his life?

Here is inside his career, rise to fame, marriage to Christine McGuinness and their eventual split.

Early life and origins of Paddy McGuinness' TV career

TV presenter and actor Paddy McGuinness at Manchester City v Newcastle United game (Image: Getty)

With Irish parents, Patrick Joseph McGuinness was born on August 14, 1973 in Farnworth, Lancashire. During his school days in Farnworth, Paddy met fellow Bolton comedian Peter Kay and the pair developed a strong friendship that helped spark some of British TV’s most iconic shows.

Paddy left school when he was 16 and worked on a building site before he made his TV debut in 1995 as a contestant on a series of dating shows. Paddy continued to make minor TV appearances before he finally got his big break as bouncer Paddy on Peter Kay’s smash hit sitcom Phoenix Nights.

He would reprise the role for Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere.

Marriage split with Christine McGuinness

Showbiz couple Christine and Paddy McGuinness split up in 2021 (Image: Getty) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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Paddy met model Christine Martin and they dated for years before they married on June 4, 2011. The couple have three children Penelope, Felicity and Leo and later moved to a modern mansion in Cheshire in 2020.

The couple announced their surprise split in a joint statement in 2021. A statement from the former couple said: "A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus as always is to continue loving and supporting our children.

“This was not an easy decision to make but we're moving forward as the best parents we can be for our three beautiful children. We'll always be a loving family, we still have a great relationship and still live happily in our family home together.”

The couple have continued to live in the same house together and remain on friendly terms. Paddy once hinted that they could one day sort out their problems and become a couple again.

In a frank interview, Paddy said: "There's no toxicity in the house, says it all really. We have separate bedrooms because we respect that we aren't together any more but, whether we work it through or we don’t, what we do have is a really, really lovely family unit at home. We both love each other."

window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20240820.min.js"Paddy McGuiness' life off screen including new stand-up tour

Paddy McGuinness plays in Soccer Aid For UNICEF 2024 game (Image: Getty)

The Take Me Out host is believed to be single and is prioritising parenthood over dating. As a proud lad who grew up near Bolton, Paddy McGuinness supports his local team Bolton Wanderers.

The former Top Gear host and stand-up comedian will use his break-up for material in his new show Paddy McGuinness: Work In Progress Warm Up Shows. He's touring the country this year, into 2025, and will kick things off in September at BBC Radio 2 In The Park.

Speaking about his new tour, the 51-year-old told Tony Bellew on his podcast Club Bellew: "This tour will be slightly different from past tours. "I'm planning to talk about things I have never talked about on tour, for instance having children with autism.

"I'm divorced now, so that will come into it," he continued. Paddy will perform 40 dates across 2024 and 2025, with a big show at London's Palladium.

He added: "It's been eight years since my last tour and there's lots of things to laugh about. I'm looking forward to getting back in front of a live audience, along with running the gauntlet of cancel culture, click bait and fake news."

What is Paddy McGuinness also known for?

Paddy McGuinness (centre) with his Top Gear hosts Chris Harris (left) and The Stig (right) (Image: Getty)

Paddy McGuiness’ star rose when he became the cheeky host of dating show Take Me Out. During the series, he became famed for his catchphrases - including "No Likey, No Lighty" and "Let The Thing See The Thing” jokes.

Paddy recreated famous movies in The Keith And Paddy Picture Show, tribute show Even Better Than The Real Thing and I Can See Your Voice. The Lancashire presenter became the new face of Top Gear along with Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris and hosted many series together.

In 2023, the series was permanently halted after former cricketer Freddie Flintoff was involved in a horror smash whilst filming the show.

Paddy had a brief stint hosting Question of Sport from 2021 until 2023 and presented Channel 4 gameshow Tempting Fortune. The host has also appeared on celebrity shows such as Don’t Look Down and Comic Relief’s annual Red Nose Day charity fundraiser, The Great Celebrity Bake off: Stand Up To Cancer and played in Soccer Aid.

Inside Paddy McGuinness' life off-screen including tough marriage breakdown

Inside Paddy McGuinness' life off-screen including tough marriage breakdown

Inside Paddy McGuinness' life off-screen including tough marriage breakdown

Inside Paddy McGuinness' life off-screen including tough marriage breakdown

Inside Paddy McGuinness' life off-screen including tough marriage breakdown