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Former TOWIE star Kate Wright, now Kate Ferdinand, this week announced the news that she had given birth with her first child with husband Rio Ferdinand.
While the sex of the baby is not yet known, they will have three older siblings to look out for them in Rio's three children; Lorenz, 13, Tate, 11, and Tia, nine.
Earlier this year Kate shared a video after announcing she was pregnant, writing: “The crazy house is about to get a little bit crazier. Every time I watch this it makes me cry, the best reaction. Baby Ferdy we are all so excited to meet you.”
The news of their child comes over three years after Kate started dating football sensation Rio. At first they kept their relationship heavily under wraps, but now the nation knows the heartwarming story that is their romance. Here is the story of their relationship.
How Kate and Rio's relationship began
Rio had kept a low dating profile since the tragic death of his wife Rebecca in 2015, concentrating instead on raising his three kids Lorenz, Tate, and Tia. On the other hand, Kate had been in a very public relationship with fellow TOWIE star Dan Edgar until they broke up in 2016.
However, both Kate and Rio found love again in January 2017, when the footballer was spotted leaving her house. By February Kate had reportedly banned hit ITVBe show TOWIE from any mention of Rio, insisting to producers that she wanted her relationship to be off camera.
Rio was apparently very upfront when asking Kate to be his girlfriend as she later revealed to The Sun: “We were eating a fry-up in a cafe in Bromley and he said, ‘I really like you and I really like your dog, will you be my girlfriend?’"
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Kate’s relationship with Rio’s Kids
The reality star instantly bonded with Rio’s kids, as she told the Daily Mail: "Rio and I just clicked. I knew about the children and what had happened but at first I didn't give it much thought.
"When you meet someone you're just enjoying the moment, not thinking about how serious things might become. I fell in love with Rio, then I met the kids and fell in love with them."
So much so, that by September 2017 Kate had moved in with Rio and quit showbiz to focus on being a stepmother to his three children. She told The Sun: “I’m taking a step back from the public eye, I want to keep my life private as I lived my previous relationship on TOWIE, my priority right now is Rio and the family."
That very year they all spent their first Christmas together in matching pyjamas, and Kate told The Sun how she helped the children navigate the tricky time of year.
She said: “Rebecca is their mum and a mum is irreplaceable, so we have a special room with her photos and their grandmother’s photos in it.
“We do big occasions like Mother’s Day and Christmas. I know a lot more about their mum than they would think, so sometimes the kids will say, ‘How do you know that’?”
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The reality star’s love for her stepchildren is obviously mutual and the kids are heavily involved in the couple’s relationship, as Rio explained on ITV’s This Morning.
He said: ”They have to be part of that conversation. There has not been one stage of going into this relationship where they've not been involved.
"Even in terms of introducing – how they want it to be done. As long as they feel they're involved and in the conversation, I think there's a chance they can reach happiness."
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He added: "I'm really happy now, the kids are really happy, it's the happiest they've been. I'm in a relationship and it's going well. My kids deserve to be happy, they've had tragedy for the last few years of their lives."
How they got engaged
Rio proposed to Kate while they were all on a family holiday to Abu Dhabi with his kids present. Later he posted the pictures to Instagram with the caption: “She said yes. How these 3 kids kept it a secret I'll never know,” followed by a string of love heart emojis.
Kate then added of the proposal: “'The perfect end to our holiday … How could the answer not be yes.”
Kate and Rio's wedding
The beautiful couple married in a show-stopping three-day celebration covered exclusively by OK! magazine at the stunning five-star luxury D Maris Bay hotel in Turkey. Kate was walked down the aisle by her father but in a sweet twist, Rio’s son’s Lorenz and Tate walked her half way down the aisle, as well as Tia who acted as Maid of Honour.
The groom, who met his bride under a stunning floral arch said: “Seeing Tia walk up the aisle before Kate set me off. It was just so emotional. There was just no going back on the emotion, that’s why I had to keep my shades on!
“Seeing Tate and Lorenz walk Kate down the aisle was particularly poignant and we wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way. They were so proud and they couldn’t wait to do that, they felt important.”
After the couple exchanged rings and said their vows the guests enjoyed a three-course meal and then speeches from Rio’s children. There was a DJ and saxophonist, and Rio even went so far as to fly out his wife’s favourite singer, Ashanti, to perform songs including Always On Time and What’s Luv?
But that was not the end of the partying because the day after the wedding the festivities began again with an all-white pool party. And it seems they had a lot to celebrate, as Rio said: “I genuinely feel like Kate was sent to us after what we have all been through, she came into our lives at the most perfect time.”’
How they announced Kate's pregnancy
The video of the pregnancy reveal begins with Kate, Rio, and his children huddled around the table at their stunning home, with the kids not knowing they were being filmed.
The kids can be seen pointing at photos of themselves whilst Kate and Rio smile away.
Next, Rio’s son can be heard reading from a book: “Before we used to argue every day of the week, now for the next chapter…” he says, before the message sinks in that Kate is pregnant.
Kate, who recently pranked Rio during a home workout, told the kids: "I'm pregnant," and then showed them her bump, adding: "Have you not noticed guys?"
The kids jump up and bounce around, with Tia hugging her brother before they all go and hug their dad and step mum Kate.
Kate gives birth
The news of the former TOWIE star giving birth was kept quiet by the couple.
However, on Friday 18 September a source told OK! online that Kate and Rio had welcomed their first child together and were not going to be releasing any further information at the time.
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