Rio Ferdinand to reveal his struggles with grief and mental health in candid book on his wife’s death
The former England captain will give a heart-breaking account about losing Rebecca, 34, to breast cancer in May 2015
RIO Ferdinand is giving his most candid insight yet about the death of his wife by penning a book about his grief.
The former England captain will give a heart-breaking account about losing Rebecca, 34, to breast cancer in May 2015, and the devastating impact it had on him and their three kids.
The Manchester United hero is hoping to smash taboos about mental health and grief for men in the follow up to his celebrated BBC documentary “Being Mum and Dad”.
The show was watched by five million people and followed the footie pundit as he met other families coping with bereavement while trying to come to terms with his own.
Speaking about the book, Rio said: “After Rebecca died, I just wanted to put everything, the feelings, the hurt, the shock, into a box and leave it there.
“I didn’t know what to say to my children, I felt I didn’t have the answers for them, but I wanted to know what they were thinking and feeling, I wanted to reach them.
“Gradually over time we’ve found our way, it’s been a hard journey and I’ve had to learn to find ways of asking for help and talking about it.
“I really hope that in writing this book it might help other people who know someone close is going to pass away through illness, who have lost loved ones or who’ve experienced some kind of loss, find their way through it too.”
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The book is set to hit the shelves in October and will be his fourth title – following the other biographies My Story, My Decade As A Red and #2sides.
It will be written by award-winning journalist Decca Aitkenhead, whose book All At Sea provides a harrowing account of how her partner Tony Wilkinson drowned in Jamaica while attempting to rescue their young son in 2014.
Rowena Webb, of publishers Hodder & Stoughton, said: “Like everyone who watched Rio’s documentary, I was incredibly moved by his openness and courage.
“He has broken the taboo, especially for men, in sharing the difficult emotions and family issues grief gives rise to.
“I’m proud, as we all are at Hodder, to publish his book and bring his important help to so many people.”
Rio’s fight to end stigma about men’s mental health has been echoed by Princes William and Harry, who have both shared their heartache about losing mother Princess Diana as children.
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In April, Prince Harry, 32, revealed he only sought counselling to deal with his grief almost 20 years after his mother’s death after his life fell into “total chaos”.
While Prince William vowed to banish the “stiff upper lip” attitude towards emotional trauma.