Kate Ferdinand slams trolls who branded her a ‘gold digger’ for marrying footballer husband Rio

KATE Ferdinand didn’t hold back as she slammed trolls who branded her a “gold digger” – and suggested she was only with her footballer husband Rio “for money”. The former TOWIE beauty, 35, admitted “there are great things and there are hard things” about her marriage, which sees the pair share two children and Kate act as step-mum to Rio’s three-strong brood. Kate Ferdinand has slammed trolls who suggested she was a ‘gold-digger’ for marrying former footballer Rio Ferdinand Credit: Getty Kate is step-mum to Rio’s three kids, and they share to children of their own Credit: Instagram Former England player Rio, 47, had children Tate, Lorenz and Tia with his late wife Rebecca Ellison, who passed away after a battle with breast cancer in 2015. Rio and Kate then started dating in 2017, and Kate gave up her role on the Essex-based reality TV series to move in with and look after them. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! Now Kate has addressed some speculation over the reason for their marriage on her Blended podcast. The show anchor said: “People think I’m a gold digger, I’m with him for money. Kate clapped back at money grabbing suggestions and said ‘I could have picked a lot easier one [husband] without all the kids’ Credit: Instagram/ @xkateferdinand Rio had children Tate, Lorenz and Tia with his late wife Rebecca Ellison, who passed away after a battle with cancer Credit: Getty “I’m basically his nanny that he doesn’t pay”. She added: “I always say if I wanted to pick a rich man I could have picked a lot easier one without all the kids. “If it was just a money thing, it’s true though”. Kate, who appeared on the pod with Rio and her co-host Cilla Kessie, then told him: “I’m here because I love you, there are great things and there are hard things”. Most read in Showbiz The pair will soon take their marriage to new territory after signing up for the I’m A Celeb spin off series. She gave up her role on TOWIE in 2017 to look after Rio and his young family, after moving in with them. They announced their engagement on November 1, 2018 after Rio popped the question while they were on holiday in Abu Dhabi. They then tied the knot on the sun-drenched shores of Marmaris, Turkey, in September 2019. Kate has been open about the struggles she has faced while co-parenting in her book How To Build A Family. The star noted: “If I could bring Rebecca back, I would in an instant because of the pain I’ve seen in them. “A child losing their parent is horrendous. You want to scoop them up and bring their mum back to make them happy, but you can’t. “As a step-parent coming into a bereaved home, you can sometimes find yourself in situations where you feel like you’re walking in the steps of someone else’s life”. Recently, her step-son Tate, 18, appeared on the podcast and told of his feelings on the pair’s early days, and admitted he felt Kate was “taking dad away”. Kate also recently told how Rio’s kids “weren’t supportive” initially when they decided to have tots of their own. Yet the influencer has won over the children after the fears she was an “evil stepmum”. Comment now