Paddy and Christine McGuinness have announced they are splitting up after 11 years of marriage.

While they say they made the decision “a while ago”, they say they will still live together with their three children in their family home in Cheshire.

They posted a joint statement on their Instagram stories, which read: “We hadn’t planned on sharing this publicly until we were ready but after the lack of privacy surrounding our personal life, we feel left with no other option but to clarify.

“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.

“We hope this now draws a line under anymore unwanted and unnecessary intrusion into our private life. Although we work in the public eye we ask kindly if you could respect our wishes for privacy on this matter. We’ll be making no further comment.”

They signed the message: “Loads of love. Paddy & Christine.”

The pair also posted a picture together on Instagram on Friday detailing their latest family holiday to Centre Parcs with their children.

The Top Gear presenter and model are parents to twins Leo and Penelope, nine, and Felicity, six. All three of the children have autism, and Christine was subsequently diagnosed with the condition.

In December 2021, the couple spoke openly about life with autism in the BBC documentary, Our Family And Autism.

The couple first met in 2007 at the Liverpool Tennis Tournament, where Christine was working as a model, and married four years later at Thornton Manor in Cheshire.

Comedian and actor Peter Kay, who starred alongside Paddy in Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere, was his best man.

In 2018, Paddy revealed he had been diagnosed with arthritis at the age of 44.

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As well as a successful acting career, Paddy’s presenting work has blossomed over the years, moving from Take Me Out to Top Gear, and more recently taking over from Sue Barker as host of A Question Of Sport.

Christine joined the cast of Real Housewives Of Cheshire in 2019 after previously appearing on the reality show as a friend. She left the show the following year.