'Embrace your autism' - Paddy and Christine McGuinness open up about their twins' condition for the first time
Take Me Out presenter Paddy McGuinness and his wife Christine have revealed that their four-year-old twins live with autism.
The couple opened up about their children's diagnosis for the first time in a poem posted on Instagram to mark their fourth birthday.
"I love you unconditionally and I will encourage you both to embrace your autism because you are totally unique and fantastically awesome," wrote Christine.
The twins, Leo and Penelope, were born in 2013 following the couple's three-year struggle with infertility.
In the poem, mum Christine expressed her pride in her children, who have thrived despite the challenges that come with the condition.
"You are conquering your daily challenges and I'm here to hold your hand, when you're dealing with sensory overload, the quietest room sounds like a brass band. In the last 12 months you have learnt to talk and you are using your flat feet to walk.
"The meltdowns, the routines and all the planning ahead. The groundhog days, the beige food and the temperamental 'time for bed'."
Christine and Paddy welcomed their third child, Felicity Rose, in September 2016.
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