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People Are Seriously Divided Over Rio And Kate Ferdinand's New BBC Doc

Ciara Sheppard

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People Are Seriously Divided Over Rio And Kate Ferdinand's New BBC Doc

Featured Image Credit: BBC

Last night, viewers were left in tears as they watched Rio and Kate: Becoming a Step Family.

It is an intimate look at the Ferdinands, as Rio's then-fiancée Kate Wright integrates into the family, becoming a step mum to his three children.

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The one-off BBC documentary explores the emotional dilemmas faced by the family, as Kate attempts to take on a new role for Rio's kids, who lost their mother to cancer.

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Rebecca Ellison died of cancer in 2015, leaving retired footballer Rio, 41, to parent their three children, Lorenz, 13, Tate, 11, and Tia, 8, alone - something which was explored in the BAFTA-winning documentary Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad.

The Ferdinands visit Rebecca and Janet's graves on Mother's Day (Credit: BBC)
The Ferdinands visit Rebecca and Janet's graves on Mother's Day (Credit: BBC)

In this follow up, viewers watched as Rio and the former TOWIE star, 28, navigate the new chapter in their life, as they prepare to wed.

Emotional scenes show the Ferdinand family visit the graves of Rebecca, and Rio's mum Janet - who died two years after Rebecca's death in 2017, also to cancer - and Rio's daughter Tia break down in tears as she weeps "I miss Mummy and Nanny."

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Kate, who is crouched down hugging the girl, responds: "You miss Mummy and Nanny? They want you to be happy though don't they? They're always with you, they just can't be with you in person can they? Give me a cuddle."


As is with the world of Twitter, there were some negative comments about the show.

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But to every negative tweet, there were tons more that praised the documentary for its eye-opening look at stepfamilies, while others shared their experiences of becoming one.

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Many more had tons of praise for Kate.

"12 minutes in #rioandkate and I can only hope if anything happens to me there's a Kate willing to look after my 3 kids the way she is!," wrote one person.

"Amazed at Kate, and how much she loves those children, that's the kind of woman you would want in their lives. She's not trying to replace their mother, she's honouring her #rioandkate," said another.

"Can totally empathise with Kate. Being a stepmother is one of the hardest things I've ever done. #RioandKate," penned a third.

Kate, 28, has taken on a step mum role with Rio's three children (Credit: BBC)
Kate, 28, has taken on a step mum role with Rio's three children (Credit: BBC)

Rio and Kate, who were married in Turkey in September 2019, spoke about their reasons for making the documentary, saying it hoped it could help others, as Rio's 2017 documentary did.

"The positive response to Being Mum And Dad in 2017 and the way it helped others going through a similar situation was overwhelming.

"For that reason, we were both compelled to tell the next chapter in our lives together.

"We hope Becoming A Step Family will give a unique insight into step families and the journey through grief, whilst also providing an intimate look at our lives together."

With an estimated third of all families in the UK now 'blended', it's clear this documentary makes for important viewing.

Rio and Kate: Becoming a Step Family is available to watch on iPlayer now.

Topics: Entertainment News

Ciara Sheppard
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