Liverpool's Christine McGuinness on whether she'd ever do I'm a Celebrity or Strictly Come Dancing

Model and businesswoman Christine, 36, is no stranger to TV, herself becoming a well known television personality thanks to her appearances on The Real Housewives of Cheshire (2018-20), Loose Women (2017-21) and two documentaries about autism (2021 and 2023).

The mum of three has also been a contestant on a variety of shows, from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and All Star Mr & Mrs with ex-husband Paddy McGuinness back in 2012 to this year starring in Pilgrimage: the Road through North Wales and Celebrity MasterChef.

One show that she has never done however - despite its strong links to her hometown of Blackpool- is Strictly Come Dancing.

Ahead of the BBC shows final this weekend, OK! Magazine asked Christine if Strictly is something she would go on, particularly as a representative of the autistic community - the former beauty queen revealing her diagnosis in 2023.

In response, Christine, whose children also have autism, said: “Everyone asks that, but I don’t know. For me, it’s the live audience I would be petrified of, and when people look at me I feel they think, ‘Oh, well, she can’t be autistic because she’s done an underwear shoot, so she’s fine.’ But a lot of it is on the inside. Almost like a swan [calm above the surface, paddling hard below the surface]. I’m calm on the outside, but my heart is racing 100 miles per hour. I did The Real Full Monty, which had a Strictly theme the year I took part, because it was for breast cancer. I was doing it for my mum, so I had that power in me to go for it. But I would love to do Strictly Come Dancing, the TV show. I’d love to get more comfortable, care-free and not panic so much.”

Christine did admit that she has had conversions with Strictly bosess already but that she hasn’t signed up yet as the “right time” for her as not yet come.

The Cheshire based star, who still shares a house with Paddy, explained: “The last couple of years have been extremely challenging – it’s been difficult, no matter how amicable things are. It’s difficult going through a divorce and knowing that one day you’re possibly going to have separate Christmases and houses. All of that is extremely heartbreaking, I think, for any family. It wouldn’t have been the right time for me to go off and do such a big TV show. But in the future, who knows? I love watching it. I think anything where you are learning a [new] skill is totally worthwhile.”

When OK! turned the conversation towards another popular show - I’m a Celebrity - which just finished over the weekend, Christine also gave an answer that implied she would never say never.

The TV star said: “I think I’m A Celebrity is one of those things no one wants to actually do, but it’s the kind of opportunity you can’t turn down, and that’s how I feel. It’s an incredible opportunity, but do I want to be covered in insects and all that? No, not at all! [Laughs] However, I’m trying to say yes to more opportunities.”

One show that Christine says she will definitely hope to do in the future however is another documentary.

Expressing her love for the media form, the NTA nominee said: “Documentaries are something that I’m always going to be passionate about, and I love learning about people and how our minds work, so I’d say that’s definitely where my interests lie.”

Although Christine’s last two documentaries have been about autism - the latter ‘Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism’ even gianing her the Celebrity of the Year accolade at the National Diversity Awards - she also told OK! that she might broaden her focus.

She said: “I’m open-minded when it comes to what to do next... I’d love to explore more hidden disabilities – such as dyspraxia, ADHD and dyslexia. I’d love to learn more about people as I’m interested in how they think –probably because I grew up being autistic and I didn’t know. I hid a lot. I would study people – and I still do it now – so I’d love to do something like that.”