Kate Ferdinand during the filming of her new documentary with Rio, as she revealed she writes messages to his late wife Rebecca.
The former TOWIE star has opened up about the struggles of becoming a stepmum to Rio’s three kids in a new BBC documentary, Rio And Kate: Becoming A Step Family.
And in a new clip shared ahead of the show airing tonight, Kate is overwhelmed with emotion as she reveals she writes messages to Rio’s ex-wife on Mother’s Day.
The family get a card for Rebecca and Rio’s late mum, and Kate added her own message in.
In the clip, she says, “It’s Mother’s Day this weekend. The children write cards for their mum and their nan. We laminate them so that when they’re at the cemetery, they can obviously last longer rather than getting wet and damaged.
“I always write a message from me, because after all I am bringing up her children with Rio.
“I don’t know why it makes me so sad. I feel like I’m grieving for someone I didn’t know. It’s really weird because I’ve taken on the children and Rio’s emotion.”
The confession comes after she admitted that she cried every day after moving in with Rio, and that she felt judged after she started taking care of his kids.
She told OK! Magazine, “I just felt like I wasn’t accepted. I felt judged and like I couldn’t live up to the memory of Rebecca. I was constantly compared. I wanted to be me," she said. "I made a lot of mistakes at the beginning because I wasn’t a mum and I felt like every mistake that I was making was being judged, and I found that really difficult.
“I always felt like a mum but I was embarrassed to say it in front of certain people. I’d say, ‘Oh, I’m their step mum.’ But now I feel like a mum. I think it’s about love and care, and being there for the children every day,which I am. And I’m confident in my role.”
Rio And Kate: Becoming A Step Family airs on BBC One tonight (Feb 10) at 9pm.
