Paddy McGuinness broke down in tears as he opened up about the emotional strain of raising children with autism.
The ‘Take Me Out’ host and his wife Christine, 30, have four-year-old twins Penelope and Leo – who have both been diagnosed with the lifelong developmental disability – while two-year-old daughter Felicity is also now showing signs of the condition.
Speaking candidly on ‘John Bishop: In Conversation With…’, he admitted: "It’s very, very, very, very difficult, you know any parent with children with any kind of special needs is very difficult."
The 44-year-old star admitted raising his kids has affected his marriage, as the couple find it difficult to spend any time together as a pair because of the challenges with their family life.
He added: "Some days it’s a wonder how we’re still together, me and Christine, because you can’t sort of do the normal things that you would as a couple.
"I can count on one hand the amount of times we’ve been on a night out together, because you can’t just have a babysitter. You can’t just say ‘I’ll drop ’em off at me relatives to look after’ ‘cos it’s not like that."
Paddy suggested being raised by his mother has left him with the impression that women adjust to parenthood better than men, and admitted he focused on going out to work to provide for the family.
However, he struggled, and revealed he suffered with depression as he tried to cope with his new family life.
He said: "And then with the autism, for me, the more I saw it and the more they had really bad days, I’d get so down, you know, I’d be like, depression and different things would wash over me."
Now, Paddy has learned to see things from his wife’s point of view, and it has helped him adjust to life as a dad of three.
He also revealed plans to develop a TV show to try to help others cope with autism.
‘John Bishop In Conversation with… Paddy McGuinness’ will air on W on July 19 at 10pm.
Paddy McGuinness on emotional strain of raising autistic children
