Kate Ferdinand has melted hearts with a video showing the moment her husband Rio returned home after six weeks away covering the 2026 Fifa World Cup in America. The footage posted on Instagram captures their two young children, Cree and Shea, running and leaping into Rio's arms, followed by teenager Tia joining for a group hug.
Family separation during World Cup
The couple, who married in 2019, share Cree and Shea together. Rio also has children Lorenz, Tate and Tia from his previous marriage to Rebecca Ellison, who died in 2015 from breast cancer. Kate and Rio relocated to Dubai last year, but the former Manchester United legend was working as a pundit in America during the tournament.
During his absence, Kate had posted family snaps and admitted: "Daddy's been gone for 4 weeks, mummy's trying to hold it together." She added: "Nearly 4 weeks down, just over 2 to go!"
Emotional reunion
After the tournament ended last weekend, Kate shared the reunion video with the caption: "'I’ve got my dad here'. A very long 6 weeks without our @rioferdy5, we’ve all missed him so much. Couldn’t be happier to have him home." Fans responded warmly, with comments such as "So lovely" and "Happy reunion."
Kate has been open about her stepfamily journey, releasing a BBC documentary in 2020, Rio and Kate: Becoming A Stepfamily, and launching the podcast Blended in 2022, which she described as "all about the highs and lows of blended life." Earlier this month, she asked stepson Tate, who recently turned 18, about his feelings when she joined the family; he admitted he saw her as "a problem" and initially told people she was his auntie.
