There's no denying that Kate Wright has a strong bond with boyfriend Rio Ferdinand's children, and this was made clearer when the former TOWIE star took to social media to share a picture of the gift they gave her. The Instagram snap sees Kate holding a lovely white mug which had the words "not a stepmom, a bonus mom" emblazoned across it. She also wrote alongside the photo, "Always take tea on the school run" and "best present". The 27-year-old's romance with Rio came to light in 2017, two years after the death of his wife Rebecca.
Kate Wright has been given a very special present from Rio Ferdinand's kids
The sports star's wife passed away aged 34 following a short battle with cancer, leaving him as the primary carer for his three children, Lorenz, 11, Tate, nine, and Tia, six. During a recent appearance on This Morning, Kate admitted that at the beginning, taking on the role as a stepmum wasn't easy. "At the very beginning one of them said, 'You don't know how to look after children because you don't have any,'" she shared. "I know it sounds really silly, because it's a small child, but it does hurt your feelings a little bit because you really are trying your best. As time's gone on, they are used to me more. Now I'm cooking dinner all the time and doing the school run. At first I was not a good cook. But now they've said my lamb chops are better than Rio's."
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The former reality TV star also touched on the loss of Rio's wife, Rebecca, who sadly died of cancer in May 2015. "Of course, Rebecca is their mum. You only have one mum. A mum is irreplaceable," said Kate. "We have a special room in the house which is filled with photos of their mum and nan, with a computer and bean bags. It's a place they can go in to do their homework or just sit and talk about them." She added: "We celebrate big occasions, Rebecca's birthday and Mother's Day. We all go to the cemetery together."
In May, the football star won the prize for Best Single Documentary for his film, Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad, which was made to highlight grief following the death of Rebecca. Fighting back the tears upon accepting his award, the 39-year-old paid a touching tribute to his kids before thanking his "beautiful" girlfriend. "I'm normally quite used to picking up trophies" he said. "Thanks to BAFTA and all the other nominees, but also to BBC for believing in the project, all the guys at New Era, the management team, it's been quite a crazy whirlwind experience." He added: "This documentary has propelled me forward into a period of happiness where my kids are happy I've got a beautiful girlfriend. Thank you, BBC, thank you very much."
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