Paddy and Christine McGuinness are at war – because the family home he put on the market for £6.5million over a year ago has failed to generate any interest from buyers.
The presenter has been accused by his ex-wife’s friends of overpricing the seven-bedroom mansion in Cheshire because his ‘oversized ego’ means he doesn’t want to move out of it.
The couple bought the house for £2.1million in 2020.
Local estate agents are stunned at the asking price, which they call ‘overhyped’. They say similar properties in the celebrity hotspot of Prestbury are selling for at least £1million less.
Others in the area have reduced the price of their homes for a quick sale, but McGuinness has stuck to his guns since putting it on the market in March last year.
A source close to the couple told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Christine is getting really fed up now. She wants to move on but it seems with it being priced so high, Paddy doesn’t want her to.
‘Paddy doesn’t want to downsize. He wants a big house to fit with his ego. It feels like a control thing. He knows he will never get £6.5million for it. It feels like he’s playing silly games.’
McGuinness, 52, and his former wife, 38 – who earlier this month claimed to now be a ‘five-star lesbian’ – still live together in the house with their three children, but stay in separate rooms.
Paddy and Christine McGuinness are at war – because the family home (pictured) he put on the market for £6.5million over a year ago has failed to generate any interest from buyers
Paddy McGuinness and Christine Martin attend the Pride of Britain Awards 2018
The listing states that the property, set on a private road, is a ‘traditional-meets-modern, voluminous home [and] is all about the family – but in an opulent way’.
Estate agent David Votta said: ‘Many people selling their own homes feel they are expert valuers, but we’ve never been in such a price-driven market as now. Expertise is more important than ego.
Take a short stroll down the same road and you’ll find what appears to be a better-presented house for £1million less, complete with a pool and far stronger marketing.
‘It raises the inevitable question: is this price tag being influenced by the fact the owner is a well-known TV personality?
‘Let’s be fair, Paddy McGuinness is a household name. But this isn’t Matt Damon or Elton John territory. So why the huge price tag?’
Mr Votta added: ‘A house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. It looks like buyers are not willing to pay a celebrity premium for a home that may not even be the strongest offering on its road.
‘To sum it up – it’s not voluminous, it’s not opulent, it’s optimistic. Overpriced, overhyped and underwhelming – this is a Paddy’s Pad problem.’
The couple split in 2022 after 11 years of marriage. Last year, Mrs McGuinness revealed that she was bisexual while the former Top Gear presenter – and host of the upcoming revival of BBC’s Big Break – has been linked to fellow presenter Kirsty Gallacher.
