'MORE KIDS? NEVER SAY NEVER!'

KATE FERDINAND REVEALS WHY HER FAMILY IS CLOSER THAN EVER AND SHARES THE INSPIRATION BEHIND HER NEW PODCAST

- RHIANNA BENSON

HAPPY FAMILIES

Reality star turned trailblazer for the modern family, Kate Ferdinand is redefining the role of stepmother. She's famously step-mum to husband Rio's three children, and gave birth to their firstborn together, Cree, at the height of lockdown in December 2020, making them a blended family of six and providing her with more love than she ever thought imaginable.

Their brood is as far from the stereotypical 2.4 children as it gets. Yet with one in four families now stepfamilies in the UK, it's not just Kate's family who are challenging the norm.

Rio and Kate in August 2021

Sitting down with us to talk about her new podcast Blended, which shines a spotlight on stepfamilies, Kate says, "Cree has brought us all closer than ever. It's beautiful to see. He's so cheeky - and really loud! Everyone in our family is quite loud, so he definitely tries to compete with us all and he's so funny. He says 'Hiya' to everyone we pass while walking down the street. I'm just so grateful that I've got a lovely big family that I wouldn't have unless I was in this situation. The biggest high is love - I'm so lucky."

Kate, 31, was in her mid-twenties when she met former Manchester United footballer Rio, 43, who is also father to Lorenz, 15, Tate, 13, and Tia, 11. Their mum, Rio's late wife Rebecca Ellison, died from breast cancer in 2015 at the age of 34.

Being a step-mum was a new role for Kate who, as an only child brought up by her mum after her parents divorced, hadn't experienced looking after kids before. "I'm stronger than I thought I was," she says. "It takes a lot of patience, understanding and strength to raise four children. But I love it so much - I wouldn't change it for anything."