Kate Ferdinand has revealed she's best mates with her husband Rio's first wife's closest friend.
The TOWIE star, 30, was speaking on her podcast Blended to a fellow step-mum and step-daughter, when she confided she is close to the former best friend of Rebecca Ellison, who was married to Rio Ferdinand and died in 2015 after a battle with breast cancer, aged 34.
Rebecca and Rio, 43, had three children together, Tate, 13, Lorenz, 15, and Tia, 10.
Kate met the former footballer in 2017 and the pair have since married and welcomed son Cree during the coronavirus lockdown.
She spoke to step-mum Kim and her step-daughter Amelia, who have been in a 'blended family' for 19 years, on a new episode of her podcast, about the progress of their relationship and struggles with grief.
Kate told the pair: "From my experience, Rio's first wife's best friend is now my best friend, it's really amazing."
"I'm really lucky actually. She helps guide me and I am really fortunate to have her. But there was a lot of judgement around how can you be best friend's with Kate if you were best friends with, you know," she went on.
The 30-year-old also revealed she wish she had known Rebecca, so she could better understand what her step-kids are going through.
She said: "For me I try my best to understand what my children are going through. But I never really will because I didn't know their mum and I don't know that loss.
She former reality TV star went on: "I always wish I knew their mum so I could tell them more stories about their mum. But there's only a certain amount of information I know because I didn't know her.
Kate also confided that she "struggled" with putting in rules at first for the trio.
"The children lived by a certain set of rules with their mum who was very strict and she taught them all their manners and everything but I come with my own set of rules."
She went on: "That adjustment was quite hard. For example the kids were always allowed to play football in the house. Now I can't stand football in the house. It was like what is the medium you know?"
In a long-ranging conversation, Katie also asked Kim about the love she feels for her biological child, and her two step-daughters, before explaining her own experience.
Kate said: "I feel as though having step children you have to work for that love a little bit more.
"When you have a biological child they are sort of in your arms and there's instant loved but I feel like the love of a step-child is even more, sometimes more intense. Because you have to work so hard to get there and I find myself probably overdoing everything more."
