"This was not an easy decision to make."

Paddy and Christine McGuinness have announced their separation. In a joint statement, Paddy and Christine confirmed they have decided to end their relationship. Sharing the news on Instagram, the pair said they didn't plan on sharing the news publicly just yet. They have three children together-6-year-old Felicity and 9-year-old twins Penelope and Leo. The parents have decided to continue living together for the sake of their children. "We hadn’t planned on sharing this publicly until we were ready but after the lack of privacy surrounding our personal life, we feel left with no other option but to clarify. "A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus as always is to continue loving and supporting our children. "This was not an easy decision to make but we’re moving forward as the best parents we can be for our three beautiful children. "We’ll always be a loving family, we still have a great relationship. "We still live happily in our family home together. We hope this now draws a line under any more unwanted and unnecessary intrusion into our private life. "Although we work in the public eye we ask kindly if you could respect our wishes for privacy on this matter. We’ll be making no further comments. Loads of love. Paddy & Christine."