The downfall of Paddy McGuinness: Christine warns their divorce will be 'expensive' and the 'gloves are off'. It completes a fall from grace that started with his reservations about her TV career, culminated in money problems… and ended in catastrophe.

It was an unusually candid moment on the This Morning sofa last month when BBC golden boy Paddy McGuinness announced his own demise.

To promote his tour – the first in eight years – he was asked by host Emma Willis why he was returning to his roots as a stand-up comedian.

“Um… well, the money's gone now, it took about eight years to spend it all and I thought, 'Oh, I've got to build it back up,'” he told her. The jaws dropped in the studio, insiders of the program tell me. It seemed unthinkable that one of the most watched faces on television was admitting money problems.

Then, just before Christmas, the star posted a photo to Instagram of two mugs along with the captions “his” and “hers,” sparking rumors that he was in a relationship after a difficult divorce from ex-wife Christine McGuinness.

It was quite a contrast to this time two years ago, when 50-year-old McGuinness seemed to have it all. A beautiful wife, three children and four major shows on the BBC.

Now, just weeks after his candid television appearance, he is about to enter a potentially bitter and expensive divorce battle with Christine, his loyal partner of nearly two decades.

Yesterday, proceedings to end their marriage began, with Christine hiring no-nonsense family lawyer Catherine Bedford from top London firm Harbottle and Lewis.

Nicknamed the 'pit bull', she represented Ant McPartlin's wife Lisa in her bitter battle with the I'm A Celeb star, while she also acts for Games of Thrones star Sophie Turner, who split from American singer Joe Jonas last year .

A friend of Christine's tells me: 'The gloves are off, she was good to Paddy, she stayed at home and raised his children while he earned money.

'It will be an expensive divorce for Paddy. Christine has had enough.'

Things have been just as bad on screen, despite McGuinness being announced as the new presenter of A Question of Sport in September 2021, as well as hosting Top Gear, I Can See Your Voice and Catchpoint.

As he made his confession, you had to wonder if McGuinness, the funny man from the north who rose to fame on the comedy circuit with the help of fellow comedian Peter Kay in series such as That Peter Kay Thing, Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere, was already aware that A Question of Sport was about to be scrapped. Last month the BBC announced that the quiz show had come to an end after 53 years. Those who worked on the program said ratings had “gone down the drain” since McGuinness arrived.

I Can See Your Voice and Catchpoint had already been canceled by the BBC and Top Gear had recently been paused following Freddie Flintoff's crash. McGuinness' biggest gig, as presenter of ITV's Take Me Out, ended in 2019.

Meanwhile, Channel 4 also seems to have run out of luck. Insiders say it is 'unlikely' that his big budget show Tempting Fortune will return.

His deal with Marks & Spencer as an ambassador for their food range also appears to be over.

So what has caused the cheeky funnyman, once synonymous with the catchy phrase 'no lighty, no like' – coined a few years ago in Take Me Out – to fall from grace so quickly?

Television executives tell me that his high-profile divorce in 2022 had had “an absolutely cataclysmic effect” on his work.

He has long portrayed himself as the loving husband and father. The McGuinnesses even made BBC documentaries about their struggles, which made them all the more appealing. Their show, Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism – their three children have the condition – was praised for highlighting the issues faced by so many families.

So when, after countless denials that their marriage was in trouble, they announced that they had decided to go their separate ways, it came as a shock. In a joint statement on Instagram, the couple said: 'A while ago we made the difficult decision to part ways, but our main focus as always is continuing to love and support our children.

“This was not an easy decision, but we are moving forward as the best parents we can be to our three beautiful children. We will always be a loving family, we still have a great relationship and still live happily together in our family home.'

It was, say television insiders, the beginning of the end for Paddy.

A TV chef said: 'Paddy and Christine were absolutely loved by the public as a couple, they seemed normal and down to earth.

“Although Christine dabbled a bit in TV, she was too busy with the kids when they were younger, but then she decided to come and show the world who she was.”

Sources close to the couple say McGuinness wasn't sure, but 35-year-old Christine – a former beauty queen who was also on the Real Housewives of Cheshire – went ahead anyway.

In 2021, she took part in ITV's Strictly The Real Full Monty, a show in which celebrities bare all to highlight the importance of checking your body for cancer. I'm told Paddy initially had his doubts, but having recently been diagnosed with autism herself, Christine saw this as another opportunity to raise awareness of the condition and face her fears.

She also wanted to pay tribute to her mother Joanne, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and received treatment while filming the show.

Despite his initial reservations about her participation, McGuness later showed his support for his wife by posting enthusiastic messages on Instagram and watching the final episode in public.

Three months later in 2022, Christine took part in reality show The Games, a Channel 4 show that pitted celebrities against each other in Olympic-style events, and where she became close friends with celebrities including Love Island star Olivia Attwood and former football player Chelcee Grimes. Again, it's implied that this was something McGuinness wasn't too keen on.

McGuinness' apparent lack of enthusiasm for his wife's latest venture was picked up on by fans who even took to social media to ask him why he hadn't posted words of encouragement for her.

It wasn't lost on his Top Gear co-star Flintoff, 46, who co-presented The Games with Holly Willoughby. During a segment of Christine dancing around her spear, Freddie said: 'I'm not sure Paddy will like it – no like.'

In July 2022, it was reported in The Sun on Sunday that the end came when Christine was told McGuinness had kissed a star after they appeared on a TV show together. The woman was never named, although Christine knows her identity and was said to be “devastated” after learning about it during the Games.

Just a week later, it was reported how McGuinness had also sent direct messages on social media to a BBC presenter, which Christine discovered in March 2022. Clearly this was a contributing factor to the relationship ending. McGuinness never responded to the allegations.

BBC insiders say rumors about his behavior were unpopular with viewers. He had been hired by the company to appeal to a family audience, but his private life increasingly became what he was best known for – something broadcast chiefs had a 'vague view' of.

Behind the scenes, McGuinness allegedly tried to convince Christine that they shouldn't divorce because they could do a lot more together as a couple, but she refused to budge.

“She was only 19 when she met him and is enjoying this new life,” said a friend of the star.

In April last year, the BBC commissioned Christine to create a solo show, Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism, which was described as 'a heartfelt journey of self-discovery' in which she discovers 'a hidden world of thousands of autistic women who, just like them, have been ignored by science and society.'

BBC bosses are said to be so impressed with her that they are already discussing more projects.

The BBC's decision to give McGuinness the coveted role of host of Question of Sport after Sue Barker was fired was a definite feather in his cap. Yet BBC bosses are said to privately 'regret' their decision to get rid of 67-year-old Sue.

McGuinness was chosen to pursue the younger audience and was always considered a funny star who was popular across all age groups.

But with the TV shows – and the paycheques – drying up, it looks like it's time for Paddy to go back to basics and start all over again.