PA ImagesRio Ferdinand has revealed the dying wish of his late wife Rebecca.
Rebecca, who passed away in 2015 due to breast cancer, told her best friend Lisa that she gave Rio her blessing to find love again because she didn’t want him to be ‘alone and miserable’.
Rio revealed his late wife’s wishes in his new autobiography, Thinking Out Loud, which is being serialised in The Sun.
PAIn the book he writes:
Rebecca told Lisa something in the final weeks of her life. Months later Lisa told me what it was . . . ‘It kills me to think of Rio with a new partner, Lisa, you know it does. Of course it does’.
‘But you know what kills me even more? Thinking of him alone and lonely. If I don’t make it, Lisa, I don’t want Rio to be miserable. I want him to be happy’.
The former England defender also opens up about his new relationship with Towie star, Kate Wright and his struggle with falling in love again.
PA ImagesRio admitted he felt emotionally vulnerable when he first met Katie and he worried his judgement was ‘all over the place’.
However he knew he wanted to get to know Katie better so he turned to Lisa for advice.
Despite Lisa being Rebecca’s best friend she put aside her feelings and encouraged Rio to pursue the relationship and the rest is history.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.