Paddy McGuinness fans in agreement as star makes 'still saying' declaration

Paddy McGuiness was supported by fans after making a claim about Bolton.

The comedian declared he still considers the borough to fall 'under Lancashire' rather than Greater Manchester in an Instagram post shared with his 2.1 million followers. The 50-year-old was born and raised in Farnworth, around two miles south east of Bolton.

Farnworth was its own Municipal Borough in Lancashire county up until 1974, when Greater Manchester and our 10 boroughs were officially formed. Some boroughs had formally been part of Cheshire and Lancashire.

READ MORE: Christine McGuiness and Love Island star in Manchester Arndale in aid of musical Channel 4 show

Farnworth has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester for 50 years now. Despite this, Paddy still thinks differently - and so do his fans.

Posting a trio of nostalgia-inducing photos from a Manchester College exhibition he'd been involved in, Paddy shared his thoughts. The first photo, in black-and-white, showed the star on a poster at the college, sitting on a classic chopper bike outside his childhood home in Auburn Street, Daubhill. He's dressed casually in jeans, a white top and white trainers.

The second photo, in colour, showed the former Top Gear presenter crouched next to the bike - which is in fact dark purple with red detailing. A final photo, also in colour, was an action shot as the star rode the bike in the middle of the road, with rows of cars and terraced houses behind him.

Captioning the post, Paddy wrote: "It was a real honour to take part in the Greater Mancunians project with the students at Manchester College. The exhibition is full of people from music, comedy, politics, poetry, television, medicine and beyond.

"It’s on at Manchester Central Library April 19 - June 30. Well worth popping in if you’re in town. PS I’m still saying Bolton falls under Lancashire. #greatermancunians".

Taking to the comments section, fans were quick to support Paddy. @dumfriesshiredave penned: "BOLTON WILL ALWAYS BE LANCASHIRE" as @johnt_1973 said: "Bolton is definitely Lancashire" and @langy1973 agreed: "Bolton will always be in Lancashire for me".

traceyashall commented: "When did that bloody change because I think it’s Lancs! x" @pazatron5000 reckoned: "You’re deffo Lancastrian! Was always a pleasure to work with you on BBC Radio Lancs x".

Others reminisced on their childhood and shared their own memories of owning a chopper. @1966bev said: "My favourite bike of all times ,takes me back to my childhood x" as @merlinsflipflops recounted: "That third gear for cruising what memories... great pictures".

@graingerangie shared: "I had a lovely red chopper in the 70s!" while @younger174 added: "Brings back good memories does them bikes".

Meanwhile, Paddy shared his hopes on Top Gear's future during an exclusive chat with Virgin Radio earlier this week. The star had hosted the hit motoring show alongside Chris Harris and Freddie Flintoff since 2019.

However the BBC 'pulled' the show 'from production' for the foreseeable after Freddie was involved in a car crash in December 2022. Paddy reassured fans that Top Gear 'hasn’t been cancelled' and said all three hosts would be up for returning.

He explained: “Top Gear hasn't been cancelled. It's just on hold at the minute while they get a few things in place. This isn't me being like an MP, it’s what we know. So let's see what happens. We're all up for doing it, but it's just when the BBC feel it's right to do it again.”

Paddy also confirmed his latest venture with Top Gear co-host Chris. The pair will be reuniting for a new travel series, Chris & Paddy: Roadtrip. Paddy said: “We’re travelling around, and we're looking at different parts of Europe and how they live. I'm talking about exercise, diet , fashion, food and drink, mental health, compared to how we are in the UK.

“It’s being done in a nice, warm, funny way. I'm really looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to seeing Chris talking about something other than cars as well.”

Paddy said the new project will commence filming in a matter of months.