Christine McGuinness has found dating again to be 'really scary'.

The model, 36, split from former Take Me Out host Paddy McGuinness, 51, in 2021 after just over a decade of marriage.

But she has now admitted she was very wary about putting herself back on the market, especially as she had never really dated total strangers before. 

She told The Sunday Mirror: 'I started dating in June, and it's the first time I've ever dated in my life, which is really scary. Even when I was younger I would end up seeing people I was already friends with.

'So going on dates with people you don't already know is brand new to me and I am doing that in my thirties for the first time. I avoided doing it for as long as possible because I know I am in no position to be in a serious relationship.' 

The former Real Housewives star  admitted that she knew it was 'best to stay single and I was celibate for a long time' following her split three years ago.

She added: 'I had a long time being single and getting to know myself again. It was the best thing I could do because now I know I am happy on my own. I am independent. I can give myself everything I need.'

The occasional Loose Women panellist also learned that she can be 'happy' on her own but is now at a stage where she would like to share her life with someone.

But when asked about her ex-husband's love life, Christine insisted that what he does in his private life is 'no longer any of her business'.

Christine co-parents twins Penelope and Leo, 11, and Felicity, eight, with Paddy and acknowledged that the pair will discuss things further at some point in the future.

She noted that this is likely to be whenever either one of them gets into a serious relationship that will provide the children with a stepparent.

Paddy recently insisted he would be 'supportive' of his wife if she were to meet someone else.

As of August, the former couple were still yet to tell their children about the split and still lived together.   

But in March, Christine - who, along with her children, has been diagonsed with autism - explained that she ' doesn't like change' and yet she realised that after 15 years of 'being wife and mother', she yearned to find out who she was as a person. 

She explained: 'We’re not actually like any other family I know. I love the way we are, I try not to compare myself to any other family because we're actually not like any other family that I know.