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Rio Ferdinand feared he'd 'never be happy again' following tragic death of wife Rebecca Ellison
4 February 2020, 14:18 | Updated: 4 February 2020, 15:50
Rio has opened up about his turmoil before meeting wife Kate Wright in new documentary Rio And Kate: Becoming A Stepfamily.
Rio Ferdinand has admitted that he 'never thought he'd be happy again' after the death of his wife Rebecca Ellison, who tragically died of breast cancer in 2015.
The former footballer, 41, who got married to TOWIE's Kate Wright in a dream Turkey wedding last year, has opened up about his grief in new documentary Rio And Kate: Becoming A Stepfamily.
The documentary explores their journey to their new family dynamic, where Kate is now stepmum to his kids Lorenz, 13, Tate, 11, and Tia, eight.
Read more: Kate Wright shares emotional post about being a stepmum to Rio Ferdinand’s kids
In a teaser clip, Rio is seen speaking candidly about the journey, saying: "I thought I’m never going to be happy again. I’ll never meet anyone, I was just really content with just being me and the kids and that’s all I thought it was going to be. And then something just happened."
And speaking about Kate, he added: "When you speak to the kids and the response is much more fun in the house, like – what dad couldn’t want that? She’s uplifting, she’s added value to this house given where it was. It was at a low ebb."
Kate herself added: "I do feel like I am winging it. I can’t ring my mate and say, 'what do I do?' No one’s with someone and their partner’s passed away and their kids haven’t got a mum.
"No one really knows what to say. I know I’m caring and I just go with that and hope it’s right."
The documentary comes after the success of Rio's BAFTA-winning Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum And Dad in 2017.
Announcing the news on Twitter, Kate and Rio said: "The positive response to Being Mum And Dad in 2017 and the way it helped others going through a similar situation was overwhelming. For that reason we were both compelled to tell the next chapter in our lives together.
"We hope Becoming A Step Family will give a unique insight into step-families and the journey through grief, whilst also providing an intimate look at our lives together."
