WITH A BABY ON THE WAY: KATE FERDINAND ON HOW TO FIND A ROLE IN A BLENDED FAMILY

When Kate Ferdinand first started speaking out about the experience of being part of a blended family, she could never have envisaged how it would grow

- LAURA BENJAMIN

Following initial struggles when she became stepmother to ex-footballer husband Rio’s three children, she decided to open up about her feelings in a TV documentary and, most recently, on her own podcast.

Her community grew and she is now regarded as a figurehead for others going through the same experience – something she never thought would happen.

“I’ve got to be honest: when I started out, I just felt alone. I didn’t know what to do,” Kate tells HELLO! in an exclusive interview. “I thought: ‘I’m just going to share my story,’ and I was overwhelmed – and still am to this day – by everyone’s response and how much it’s helping them. I didn’t envision that I’d be where I am today, but I’m so grateful that I can use my experiences to help others.”

Not only has Kate, 31, continued her popular Blended podcast, but she also published her first book last week, about families like hers – she is pregnant with her second child with Rio, 44, and is also stepmother to his three children with first wife Rebecca, who died of cancer in 2015. A manual that covers the experiences of both Kate and others like her, it also offers advice from a host of experts.