Kate Ferdinand has given birth to her second child, a baby girl, with husband Rio.
The former TOWIE star, 32, and ex footballer, 44, announced the arrival of their bundle of joy via Instagram, six days after the birth on Monday. She also revealed the newborn's name in the caption and gushed about how 'strong' she is doing. The TV personality wrote: 'Shae Ferdinand. 10.7.23 Our strong little girl'.
In addition to being a mother to their two-year-old son Cree, Kate is also a stepmother to Rio's children Lorenz, 16, Tate, 14, and Tia, 12 - whom he shared with his late wife Rebecca Ellison before she died of breast cancer in 2015, at the age of just 34.
stepmum to Lorenz, 16, Tate, 14 and Tia, 12
Kate has kept her 1.4 million followers up-to-date throughout her second pregnancy, sharing several glamorous baby bump photos. In June, Kate revealed on Loose Women that her baby girl was in a breech position. A breech birth occurs when a baby is naturally born bottom-first or feet-first instead of head-first, and it affects around three to four per cent of pregnancies in the UK. Kate explained, 'Can I tell the truth, the baby is breech. She is kicking me in the ribs and on my bladder.'
Earlier this month, Kate shared some selfies of herself with Rio and their son Cree in the gym, where she had to cut down on her walking and gym routine as she neared her due date. She flaunted her baby bump in a fitted black vest top and coordinated leggings, which she paired with grey fluffy slippers. In an accompanying caption, Kate jokingly mentioned that she had gone to the gym with Rio only for 'selfie purposes', rather than a workout. She wrote, 'Good morning. Don't be fooled by the gym picture & clothes, I was there for selfie purposes only.'
Kate also posted a snap of herself during an early morning dog walk, revealing that she had to shorten her walks due to her pregnancy. Alongside the selfie, she wrote, 'True dog walker with the lead around me. Ronnie's walks have gone down to 25-30 minutes, he's not too impressed, but that's my limit at the moment.'
At the end of June, Kate recorded the final episode of her Blended podcast with Rio before going on maternity leave. She expressed her gratitude for the support she received and mentioned her excitement for her baby girl's arrival. She said, 'For a really long time, I wanted to start this, but just didn't have the confidence. It's only sometimes when you take a minute to reflect that you can see how far you have come. Thank you for all of your continued support, it really does mean the world to me! Now time to rest & reset for the baby. To listen, search Blended wherever you get your podcasts.'
In January, Kate and Rio revealed that they were expecting their second baby together, six months after experiencing a heartbreaking miscarriage. The former TV personality shared a video clip on Instagram, showing her prominent baby bump. Captioning the post, she wrote, 'We've been praying for you.'
In March, the couple announced that they were expecting a baby girl. They decided to have a gender reveal, but it didn't go as planned, with Kate choking on a cupcake. The reality star recounted the incident, saying, 'It's a girl, guys - we are so excited we're having a girl. We both guessed the same. Lorenz guessed that.' Despite the mishap, the couple was thrilled about welcoming a daughter.
Kate also opened up about the challenges she faced during her pregnancies, as she sometimes felt that Rio wasn't as excited due to his previous experience with fatherhood. She mentioned that they had arguments and disagreements, but ultimately they found a way to understand and support each other.
Sadly, in July 2022, Kate experienced a miscarriage shortly after discovering she was pregnant with her second child. She shared the emotional journey on her Blended podcast, recounting the moments leading up to the devastating news and the aftermath of the loss. She expressed the difficulty of grieving a loss that is not visible to others and the impact it had on her and her family.
Congratulations Kate and Rio - we hope you enjoy every moment.
