Christine McGuinness praises Chelcee Grimes after pair kissed

‘We have such a laugh together!’ Christine McGuinness praises pal Chelcee Grimes after pair were spotted kissing on night out following model’s split from husband Paddy

Christine McGuinness has praised her good friend Chelcee Grimes after the pair were seen kissing on a night out together at Winter Wonderland in London last month.

The model, 34, who split from her comedian husband Paddy McGuinness, 49, last year still lives with the television presenter so they can co-parent their children Penelope, nine, Leo, nine, and Felicity, seven.

But she has been enjoying spending time with singer Chelcee, 30, with Christine telling The Sun: ‘Chelcee’s been great. 

Best friend: Christine McGuinness, 34, has praised her good friend Chelcee Grimes, 30, after the pair were seen kissing on a night out together

‘We have such a laugh together and obviously she’s based up north too, but I love catching up with everyone from The Games whenever I can.

‘They all have a big place in my heart, because it really did change my life.’

Former The Real Housewives of Cheshire star Christine and ex footballer Chelcee both appeared on The Games last year, with Christine finishing in ninth place and Chelcee coming in second.

Companion: Christine has been enjoying spending time with singer Chelcee, with Christine telling The Sun: 'Chelcee’s been great'

Companion: Christine has been enjoying spending time with singer Chelcee, with Christine telling The Sun: ‘Chelcee’s been great’

In December the pair were spotted putting on a cosy display as they strolled through Winter Wonderland in London’s Hyde Park.

They were seen kissing one another and walking hand-in-hand at the festive event.

While Christine has split from Paddy, she insists she will always keep his surname, telling the publication: ‘I am going to stay McGuinness. It’s something I’ve always said, even when we’ve been joking about it in the past.

Split: Paddy and Christine announced they were going their separate ways in August last year but are still living together

Split: Paddy and Christine announced they were going their separate ways in August last year but are still living together 

‘I want to keep the same name as my children, but I will eventually move to “Miss”.’

Christine and Paddy announced they had parted ways back in July last year after 11 years of marriage, but later revealed that they ended their relationship earlier in the year.  

Speaking to OK! Magazine about the split, Christine shared: ‘We’re amicable. I’m quite happy for him to be there with the children and it’s nice for them to see Mummy and Daddy just being alright. We can sit and have a cup of tea together and that’s fine.’

Sharing a joint statement at the time they announced their split last summer, the pair wrote on social media: ‘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.’

Happy and relaxed: While Christine and Paddy have split, she says she will always keep his surname

Happy and relaxed: While Christine and Paddy have split, she says she will always keep his surname

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