Rio and Kate Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand is a world-renowned former professional footballer who has played three World Cups for England, as well as being signed for West Ham United, Leeds United, Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers. Rio is currently a TV pundit for BT Sport.

Rio came to Child Bereavement UK to film with bereaved young people as part of his 2017 BBC1 BAFTA-winning documentary Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad following the death of his first wife, Rebecca, in 2015. He featured in Child Bereavement UK’s #OneMoreMinute campaign and returned to the charity with Kate to film for their BBC1 documentary: Rio and Kate: Becoming a Stepfamily which was broadcast in 2020.

Kate Ferdinand (née Wright) shot to fame as a star on TOWIE. In 2019 she was unveiled as the new face of Very and published her first book, Fitter, Happier, Healthier: The Ultimate Body Plan. Kate and Rio married in September and Kate has taken on the role of stepmum to his three young children.

On becoming Patrons, Kate and Rio said:

It’s been a huge shift for us reaching out to Child Bereavement UK, and we’ve gained so much as a family. We’re both delighted to become Patrons of Child Bereavement UK and to be able to continue to raise awareness of the charity’s phenomenal work supporting bereaved children and their families.

Kate launched Blended, a new platform for blended families to share their experiences and support one another. In 2022, Kate hosted two new podcast episodes; For anyone who finds Mother's Day difficult and a Father's Day Special, which both include contributions from young people supported by Child Bereavement UK.

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