Rio Ferdinand thought he'd 'never be happy again' after tragic death of first wife
Rebecca sadly died in 2015 from breast cancer
Former England and Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand tragically lost his beloved wife Rebecca Ellison back in 2015, after she passed away following a battle with breast cancer.
After leaving behind Rio and the couple's three children, Lorenz, Tate and Tia, Rio has now opened up about Rebecca's death, admitting he thought he'd never be happy again.
Of course, after Rebecca's final wish was for Rio to find love again, the 41-year-old met former TOWIE star Kate Wright, with the pair going on to get married in 2019.
Now, talking about his brand new documentary Rio And Kate: Becoming A Stepfamily, Rio has bravely opened up about his past trauma, admitting his feelings at the time.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Rio said, “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."
Revealing Kate brought happiness back to the family home, Rio 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."
Kate, who has previously documented her journey of becoming a step mum to Lorenz, Tate and Tia online, also spoke about the upcoming documentary, admitting she's 'winging it'.
She said, "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."
Kate and Rio first started dating back in January 2017, with Rio popping the question on the roof of the The St. Regis hotel in Abu Dhabi in 2018, with the help of Rio's three children. The pair then got married in a stunning ceremony in September 2019.
Check out all of the celebs who announced their engagements in 2019:
Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger
Guardians of the Galaxy actor Chris Pratt announced he'd proposed to Katherine Schwarzenegger after just a few months of dating.
Chris shared a cute photo of the pair to his Instagram page, showing off Katherine's stunning ring. He wrote, 'Sweet Katherine, so happy you said yes! I'm thrilled to be marrying you. Proud to live boldly in faith with you. Here we go! 💍🙏♥️'.
James McVey and Kirstie Brittain
The Vamps singer James McVey popped the question to his girlfriend Kirstie Brittain in January, shortly after leaving the I'm A Celebrity jungle.
Scarlett Lee and Nathan Shaw
X Factor 2018 star Scarlett Lee announced her boyfriend Nathan Shaw popped the question to her in January... in a graveyard.
She shared the news online, writing, 'He asked I Said YESSS! 💍 For what God Has Joined Together Let No One Separate! There's no other place I would rather of done this, my granny and grandad are my whole world and I've been so sad they weren't here to see me on the xfactor but he made this so special I'm so happy I love Nathan future MRS SHAW💍💍❤️❤️❤️'. sic
Gareth Gates and Faye Brookes
Gareth Gates and former Corrie star Faye Brookes got engaged in January 2019. The pair split in September 2019, but got back together soon after. Speaking to OK! Magazine, Pop Idol star Gareth revealed he penned a 17-MINUTE song about their six years together, incorporating things which mean a lot to the couple. He told the publication, "It was all about the six years we've spent together and I incorporated bits of songs that mean a lot to us as a couple. I got a bit carried away though – it went on for 17 minutes!"
Faye, who plays the role of Kate Connor in Coronation Street, then added, "We were both crying the whole way through. Once it was finished, Gareth got down on one knee and said: 'Will you spend the rest of your life with me?' And of course I said yes straight away."
Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney
Jennifer Lawrence got engaged to her art dealer boyfriend Cooke Maroney in February 2019 after beginning their relationship in June 2018.
Casey Batchelor
Celebrity Big Brother star Casey Batchelor got engaged to her boyfriend Dane Goodson in February 2019. They've been together since 2016 and share daughter Florence - they also have another baby on the way.
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom
Katy Perry announced on Instagram that she and Orlando Bloom were engaged on Valentine's Day 2019. Sharing a photo of the newly-engaged couple on Instagram, Katy's unique engagement ring was visible to see. She simply wrote, 'Full bloom', to accompany the photo.
Mark Feehily
Westlife's Mark Feehily announced his engagement in February 2019! After secretly dating his partner Caileann for the last six years, he announced the happy news on Instagram this morning with a series of three photos, revealing that they'd become engaged whilst on holiday in the Maldives.
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez
Popstar J-Lo got engaged to baseball player Alex Rodriguez in March 2019, announcing the news in a sweet Instagram post.
Hilary Duff
Lizzie McGuire star Hilary Duff got engaged in May 2019 after her music producer boyfriend Matthew Koma popped the question! Hilary, who welcomed her second child in December 2018, announced the lovely news on her socials, sharing two cute snaps of the couple, whilst showing off a STUNNING looking engagement ring. Alongside the snap, Hilary wrote, 'He asked me to be his wife♥️'. sic
Ryan Thomas and Lucy Mecklenburgh
Ex TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh and former Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas got engaged in June 2019. The couple were on a romantic retreat to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, which Lucy described as a 'dream holiday' when Ryan popped the question. Lucy, 27, took to Instagram to announce the good news, with a romantic snap of the pair and the caption, 'I said YES 💍❤️'
Holly Hagan
Geordie Shore star Holly Hagan got engaged to her boyfriend Jacob Blyth in June 2019 whilst the pair were on holiday together in Ibiza for their second anniversary.
Katie Price
Katie Price announced her engagement to Kris Boyson on Loose Women, saying, "So Kris bought the ring, for that finger, so there you go. I've got love in my life. The show Quest Red's My Crazy Life is going really well, it's the highest-rating show, so everything's going really well."
Rio And Kate: Becoming A Stepfamily will air on BBC One on Monday 10th February.