Paddy McGuinness says people need to stop assuming autistic kids are 'unruly and naughty'
Aneira Davies
ContributorThe TV presenter opened up about his 'chaotic' home life with three autistic children and coping with others judgement.
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Paddy McGuinness says people need to stop being so judgemental and assuming autistic children are being naughty when they're overwhelmed.
Talking to The Sunday Times, the Top Gear presenter, 48, who shares three autistic children with wife Christine, said:
‘People need to stop being so judgmental about others with autism and assuming kids are just being unruly and naughty if they're having a meltdown.'
He said that he tried to explain the situation to people rather than getting annoyed, saying:
'I try to educate kn**heads, rather than rising to their ignorance.’
Paddy and Christine are parents to twins Leo and Penelope, 8, and Felicity, 6.
All three of their children are autistic and former Real Housewives of Cheshire star Christine was also diagnosed with the condition last year.
Paddy who co-hosts podcast Table Talk with Christine, says that his home life is chaotic but he wouldn't change it.
’Being a parent is the best thing that's ever happened to me,' he said.
'Our chaos at home is just normal to me.'
He also shared how he deals with the day-to-day challenges the family face, saying:
‘Every child with autism is different, so I try to address their character, rather than their autism.’
However, Paddy said sometimes he could find the situation overwhelmed and opened up about his struggle with depression, saying:
‘Coping with the situation can be overwhelming. Christine is great at noticing when I’m struggling before I spot it in myself and she was the one who pushed me to get help. I was diagnosed with clinical depression four years ago.
‘Having children and a wife with autism is hard, but I love them unconditionally, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
It’s not the first time the TV celeb has tried to educate those who make judgemental comments about life with autistic children.
After a stranger called him out for parking in a disabled parking space back in 2019, he took to Twitter to share how he'd had to defend his kids.
Explaining that a member of the public decided to 'come over and tell us that we don’t look disabled!', Paddy relayed the story on social media.
Sharing that he'd had a 'deep breath and walk away moment', Paddy said: ‘I tried to explain to him that not all disabilities are the same? The ignorance and sheer pomposity of telling someone they don’t look disabled really makes my blood boil! How does someone have to look to have a disability?’
He added: 'I’m so glad I took that deep breath and handled the situation calmly. I feel better for it and hopefully that ignorant person might think twice next time or indeed learn that all disabilities are different.
'If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, stay calm, take the deep breath and educate the ignorant. You’ll feel better and you’ll still have a job to pay your mortgage and look after your family.’
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