Paddy McGuinness is set to share an emotional insight into his children's life with autism as part of a one-off BBC documentary. 

The TV personality and his wife Christine have three children, eight year-old twins Leo and Penelope, and five year-old Felicity.

All three have been diagnosed with autism, a condition that means your brain works in a different way from other people, and can impact how you interact with the world.

When is 'Paddy And Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism' on TV?

The documentary will air on BBC One at 9pm on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.

It is an hour-long programme.

What is Paddy and Christine McGuinness' documentary about?

Filmed over several months, this raw and intimate documentary follows Paddy and Christine at home as they meet other parents, experts and people on the autism spectrum - including footballer Paul Scholes, who has a 16 year-old non-verbal autistic son.

Paddy reveals how he struggled with the initial diagnosis and what it meant for his family’s future.

Christine accepted the children’s diagnoses more quickly than Paddy.

She told how she sees herself in her kids and threw herself into supporting the children, while Paddy focused on his work and providing for his family in the best way he knew.

The Bolton News: Paddy and Christine McGuinness pictured above. Photo credit: BBC/Raw Factual Ltd/Vincent Dolman.Paddy and Christine McGuinness pictured above. Photo credit: BBC/Raw Factual Ltd/Vincent Dolman.

In the early days, Paddy went down the rabbit hole of Google research trying to find out why all three of his children are autistic.

He meets Professor Simon Baron-Cohen at Cambridge University, who says: "It’s just who the person is… with their unique strengths and challenges."

Simon tests Paddy and Christine’s autistic traits, and the results start a whole new journey for the couple.

Having started from very different places, over the course of filming and learning more about autism, Paddy and Christine come to a much stronger understanding about what autism means for their family.

Christine McGuinness' late autism diagnosis

Model Christine McGuinness has just been diagnosed with autism at the age of 33, declaring on Instagram that she is “autistic and proud".

She has since come to understand the little hints throughout her life that pointed to the condition, which she shares with her three children.

McGuinness, who’s married to A Question Of Sport host Paddy McGuinness, said on Instagram: “I have felt different my whole life. Honestly, I am relieved to finally understand myself!”

While the first signs of autism are typically seen in early childhood, it’s not uncommon for it to be picked up much later in life.

Naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham wasn’t diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (a type of autism) until he was in his forties.