A £30K hen do, a £20k proposal and £4k handbags – is this why Kate Wright has been accused of ‘rubbing her wealth in people’s faces’?
WITH her upcoming wedding to Rio Ferdinand, holidays in £1800-a-night hotels and a wardrobe jam-packed with £800 Gucci bags, Kate Wright seems to have it all.
But flaunting her perfect life – and her stunning figure – has made her some enemies among the other footballers’ wives, according to The Sun’s Secret Wag.
In our exclusive column over the weekend, Kate was accused of “breaking the WAG code” and using her wealth to “rub people’s nose in it.”
And it's not hard to see why.
On her recent hen weekend in Mykonos, the 28-year-old TOWIE star – who started dating 40-year-old Rio in 2016 – shared dozens of pictures of her friends with matching luggage sets, dressed in matching designer PJs and hanging out at a luxury villa.
Other pictures show the couple on expensive holidays with Rio’s three children Lorenz, 12, Tate, 10, and Tia, seven, and working out in the fully equipped private gym at their mansion.
As the the bride-to-be hurtles towards her five-star wedding to £55 million footballer Rio, we examine the former reality star's opulent lifestyle.
A home gym and daily visits from a personal trainer
Kate - who met £55M Rio on holiday in Dubai - frequently posts glossy pictures of the couple's home in Essex, estimated to be worth around £2million.
It boasts a walk-in wardrobe, a swimming pool and a spacious kitchen with a double oven and a breakfast bar.
Floor to ceiling windows overlook a huge garden surrounded by woodlands, complete with trampoline, basketball net and a football pitch.
But the most frequently pictured room is the home gym – with more equipment than your average David Lloyd – where Kate and Rio share daily workouts.
The couple are seen making frequent use of several weight benches, core weight machines and dumbbells, a cross trainer and medicine balls.
She recently posted a snap of herself working out with personal trainer Michael Evans, who charges £50 for a one-to-one session.
Our Secret WAG said it’s easy to maintain a perfect figure when you don’t work 9-5 and have a home gym.
“She works out with a personal trainer — who goes to their house most days,” she added.
Proposal in Abu Dhabi and a luxurious hen do
When she's not showing off in the gym, Kate’s feed is littered with beach pictures in exotic locations - and she has previously hit out at trolls who criticised her lavish holidays.
"Money doesn't make looking after three children that have lost their mum easier," she said last year.
"Yes we can have nice holidays but money can't bring back loved ones and heal grief. Looking after children and caring for them comes from the heart, not from the bank."
In the last 12 months, Rio and Kate’s travels have included a New Year break at the £900-a-night Kuredu Island Maldives – where they had lunch in a stunning restaurant in a glass tunnel under the sea.
Romantic Rio also chose an exotic location to pop the question in November last year – getting down on one knee on the roof of the St Regis Hotel in Abu Dhabi, where a suite will set you back £1,800 a night - and the total cost was estimated to be over £20k.
He presented his bride-to-be with a 5 carat diamond ring which and expert estimated to be worth £400,000 although Kate denied this.
£30k hen do
To celebrate, Kate splashed out on a lavish hen do, treating 16 friends to a luxury break in Mykonos, Greece.
The hens took matching designer luggage and dressed in black outfits to fly out together, while Kate wore a white 'Mrs Ferdy to be' jacket.
She gifted them all a designer handbag branded with their initials and matching silk PJs from her Very.co.uk range.
The luxury villa, with infinity pool, was stuffed with balloons and Kate posed in front of a huge balloon wall, with the message 'Mrs Ferdy to be' written across it.
"Villa rental is a popular choice for hen and stag parties as they offer an exclusive but private events space that you can personalise easily. Mykonos is a popular destination for celebrities with a variety of villa styles to suit many budgets.
Venue hire only would start from around £6,000 for four days.
However I would expect Kate Wright's hen party to look for an all inclusive package (drinks and food all included) which triples that price at least, sitting at around £18-22K.
"The more private the venue the higher the price - and I would image Rio would not want to skimp on the accommodation.
"With flights and merchandise factored in on top, we're looking at a further £8.5k."
Estimated cost of Kate's holidays and hen party
Proposal break in Abu Dhabi
Week's stay at St Regis Hotel - £12,600
Five business flights at approx £1,500 - £7,500
Total cost £20,100
Christmas break in the Maldives
10 nights at £900 a night - £9000
Five business class flights at approx £2,800 - £14,00
Total - £23k
Hen Party
All inclusive venue hire: £18k -£22k
Personalised merchandise: £2.5k
Further planned activities: £2.5k
Flights: £6k
Total cost: £29-£33k
Losing friends over Rio
While the other WAGS may be gossiping about Kate, she still has a loyal set of pals around her – as the 16-strong hen party showed.
The girls, who gifted her a Rio Ferdinand Doll sporting a mankini and a suitcase with his name on it, include close TOWIE pal Saffron Lempriere.
In March she threw a lavish baby shower for her best friend, Sarah-Jane Sellick, shortly before she gave birth to daughter Cece.
She decorated the whole house with pink balloons, ordered a stunning cake decorated with roses and ‘Baby Sellick’ signs and provided individual bottles of Bottega Rose Gold champagne at £20 a bottle, with labels asking guests to “Pop when she Pops”.
But earlier this year, Kate hinted that she had lost friends over her romance with Rio.
She posted a cryptic message saying, “'Some people only hate you because of the way other people love you.”
She added: “Every now & then a detox is necessary. Cleanse the toxins from your body & life; that means negativity of all forms - food, people, etc...”
A 'luxurious' 5-star wedding
Kate and Rio are set to get married later this month and, once again, they will be travelling overseas to a secret wedding venue.
Rio recently revealed the nuptials will take place at a romantic five-star resort.
Kate is set to have nine of her "favourite females" as bridesmaids on her big day including step-daughter Tia, Sarah-Jane and four more close friends Victoria, Melissa, Sarah, Nadia and Lucy.
In February she “proposed” to the nine girls with another lavish party, featuring a doughnut wall, stunning flower bouquets and candles for each, with a personalised poem in a frame and an initialled purse.
£800 shoes and £4,300 handbags
Despite her bulging bank account, Kate never shies away from high street style, often showing off pieces from her own collaboration with Very on Instagram.
But her wardrobe also contains some signature designer pieces with Gucci being her go-to brand.
Last year she was spotted shopping in Saville Row toting an £800 Gucci handbag while Rio looked cool in a £500 pair of Balenciaga trainers.
And she recently accessorised a £39.99 Zara dress with a brown Gucci belt and a pair of £540 Gucci sandals.
And while her friends were dressed from her range at the hen party, the bride-to-be did show off her midriff in a sequined top and skirt from Revolve, costing £415.
She's also been seen in £475 Jimmy Choo heels, a £270 Fendi Belt and a £2,000 Celine bag, according to stylist Stylist Samantha Kenwright.
And she often poses with her favourite Chanel Diamond Quilted handbag, which retails at £4,300 - and which she owns in two colours.
Ever thrifty Kate is not adverse to earning a few quid from a good wardrobe clearout either. She regularly posts tops, skirts and suits on Depop for as little as £4.
Back in 2016, when she was filming TOWIE, Kate underwent boot camp with a £1,000 price tag, before indulging in teeth whitening, extensions and scarring treatments for £110 a pop.
These days she boasts a more natural look and recently posted a make-up free picture of a DIY pamper session at home, writing: "My happy place. Treatment in my hair, no makeup, chilling with my love."
These days she relies on her regular workouts to keep her trim, but recently admitted she was going on a ultra-healthy diet of chicken and veg before her upcoming wedding.
A struggle to ‘love herself’
Despite appearances, Kate says she started the new year worrying about her “daily struggles.”
She wrote on Instagram: “I am obsessed with becoming a woman comfortable in her skin.”
She added: “One of my New Year’s resolutions is to accept myself, something I struggle with. Anyone that knows me well knows I suffer with bad anxiety & really struggle to love myself.
"Most days are a battle with what’s going on in my head. I’ve sort of kept this off social media as I’ve been to scared to share it, and the less I shared, the more distant Instagram is from my daily life... that’s going to change this year.
Most read in Fabulous
“I’m going to give more of the ups and downs, not just the fun times. This year I will not let society’s views on who I should be and what I should look like [affect] me.
"I have been so busy making sure everyone else if OK that I have forgot about looking after myself properly. This year I am working on me; mind, body, soul.”