Rio Ferdinand feared he would ‘never be happy again’ following the death of his wife Rebecca
RIO Ferdinand believed he would "never be happy again" following the death of his wife Rebecca in 2015.
The former Manchester United ace, 41, was left to raise his three children alone after Rebecca lost her battle with breast cancer.
Rio opened up about her death on his new BBC documentary, Rio and Kate: Becoming a Stepfamily, alongside new wife Kate Wright, 28.
He 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.
“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."
The dad-of four continued: "You feel you’ve been dealt a terrible hand, but your luck can change."
Former Towie star Kate admitted she also found it difficult after becoming a stepmum to Rio's children Lorenz, 13, Tate, 11 and eight-year old Tia.
She explained: "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 added: "No one really knows what to say. I know I’m caring and I just go with that and hope it’s right..."
Kate is now a stepmum to Rio's three children Lorenz, 13, Tate, 11 and eight-year old TiaThe emotional documentary also sees Kate break down in tears as she discusses the children's happiness.
Through her tears, she says: "I just want the children to be happy. It’s hard for us so I can’t imagine how hard it is for the kids."
The documentary will air on Monday 10 February at 9pm on BBC One and follows on from the former England player's previous BBC documentary, Being Mum and Dad, when he bravely opened about life as a single parent after his wife's passing.
The documentary, which aired in March 2017, left viewers in floods of tears as he spoke about his struggle to raise his children alone.
At the time Rio was hailed a “warrior”, “brave” and “a brilliant dad” by celebrities and TV fans alike as they watched him break down in tears talking about his late wife.
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