Simon Thomas wrote a heartfelt message to his son Ethan to mark World Book Day on Thursday, as they continue to grieve the loss of wife and mother Gemma. The Sky Sports presenter shared photos of his eight-year-old son dressed up as Peter Pan in honour of the occasion, and revealed he had put a special quote from J.M. Barrie's book into Ethan's school bag to lift his spirits.
"So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings. Enjoy my boy. Love you, daddy," the note read. Sharing a photo of the handwritten message on Instagram, Simon added: "A little #snacknote on #worldbookday. He's dressing up as Peter Pan."
© Photo: InstagramSimon Thomas' son dressed up as Peter Pan on World Book Day
Simon has been sharing "snack notes" in Ethan's lunch box every day since the loss of his mum Gemma in November. The 40-year-old passed away just three days after she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, and Simon has been trying to raise awareness of the condition ever since.
MORE: Celebs share sweet photos of their children's World Book Day costumes
On Tuesday Simon appeared on This Morning to talk about his wife's death, and reduced hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield to tears as he explained how he broke the news to his son. "All the way back [from the hospital], my heart was pounding. He [Ethan] went in to see her twice that day. I didn't tell Ethan she was going. I said, 'Mummy is seriously ill' and I held him close to her ear a couple of times and he said he loved her. And then he went to play with his cousins."
© Photo: InstagramSimon shared a sweet note for his son
Simon continued: "I thought I've got to tell him, so I took him upstairs and looked into his deep brown eyes and said, 'Ethan, I'm really sorry – they couldn't make Mummy better'. And I couldn't dress it up. I said, 'Mummy's died'. He collapsed on the floor and I did too, and I just held him. I rolled on the floor with him. I would never ever wish that on my worst enemy."
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