Kate Ferdinand has defended her relationship with Rio Ferdinand after being accused of being a 'gold digger'. The former TOWIE star, 34, who shares two kids with the former footballer, was 25 when she started dating Rio, 47, in 2016 before getting married to the multi-millionaire in 2019.
Step-mum struggles
Kate, who is also stepmum to Rio's three children - who he shares with late wife, Rebecca - lives in Dubai with her blended family, who she often speaks about on her podcast. The Ferdinands, who are rumoured to have signed up for I'm A Celeb's new spin-off show, The Wild Frontier, seem to be living the dream, with Kate often posting glamorous snaps of herself soaking up the sun in the UAE. However, she has now revealed that she's been accused of being Rio for his money - something which she says couldn't be further from the truth.
'I'm here because I love you'
Kate has spoken openly about her struggles as a stepmum and told her listeners on her latest podcast that it would have been far easier to have chosen a man without kids. Defending her decision to marry Rio on the couple's Blended chat, she said: "People think I'm a gold digger, I'm with him for money. I'm basically his nanny that he doesn't pay."
Pointing out that it would have been easier to choose a man who didn't have children, she continued: "I always say if I wanted to pick a rich man I could have picked a lot easier one without all the kids. If it was just a money thing, it's true though. I'm here because I love you, there are great things and there are hard things."
Rio's guilt
Kate was carving out a career for herself in reality TV before she met Rio and became a stepmum. When asked if he felt guilty for for 'snatching Kate out of her life and bringing her into this domestic world' by podcast co-host, Cilla Kessie, he replied: "I've thought about that a lot." Addressing Kate, he said: "There have been big issues that have happened, especially on where I have thought your life could be so much more simple without me, and without us."
"As much pain and hard yards we have brought to her life, I think it balances out the goodness we have brought to her life as well. But I do appreciate the stress we have brought to her life as well."
Adapting to family life
Rio admitted that going from losing his late wife Rebecca to creating a blended family with Kate 'wasn't a smooth transition', saying: "I had to adapt a lot of big things."
"Rebecca died, I became a single parent but I had my mum there, my mum became that mother figure but then my mum died quickly after and I then became a single parent but then Kate arrived. So I never got into a mad rhythm, I didn't get into a two year rhythm, we morphed. It was change, adapt."
The Man Utd star also admitted that when he first met Kate he didn't want a relationship, let alone more kids, admitting: "When I met you, I was like, three kids. I didn't even want a relationship, let alone kids."
Two more kids later, Kate pointed out: "We ended up here, babe." Explaining that he wouldn't change their family now, dad-of-five Rio concluded: "But you then adapt to the circumstances. And so, okay. We're now seeing each other. We are in love. You're young. You want kids, you want your own kids as well biologically."
"I was like well I don't really want kids but I love her so I've just got to go ahead with it and I wouldn't change it now you know what I mean."
