Kate Wright praises boyfriend Rio Ferdinand and his late wife Rebecca in emotional post

Kate Wright was bursting with pride after boyfriend Rio Ferdinand won a BAFTA and she took to Instagram to congratulate him.

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Kate Wright took to Instagram to praise her boyfriend Rio Ferdinand after he was awarded a BAFTA.

Kate Wright has penned an emotional Instagram post praising her boyfriend, former footballer Rio Ferdinand and his late wife Rebecca.

Now step-mum to Rio's three children, Kate has spoken before about how proud she is of Rio's strength and how important it is to keep Rebecca's memory alive.

Rio won the prestigious BAFTA for his documentary Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad, which saw him open up about Rebecca's battle with cancer and her death.

Writing on Instagram alongside a picture of Rio holding his award, Kate wrote: 'My baby won a bafta!!! Overwhelmed with emotion for you... Feels strange to be happy through winning something through sadness, but I’m so happy for you, for raising awareness and helping others.'

She added: 'You are amazing, here is to the future, but always keeping the past in our hearts. I love you ❤'.

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Rio was visibly shocked when his named was called out as the winner of the BAFTA for best single documentary.

Before he went to collect the award he kissed Kate on the cheek and she cheered as he walked to the stage.

Once on the stage Rio said: 'I'm used to picking up trophies, but I normally don't have to speak after.

'It's been a crazy, whirlwind experience... I didn't do this for any other reason than my three kids. The worst thing to come out of this is I get quite emotional now.'

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He continued: 'It's allowed me to kind of speak and show vulnerability that people are probably not used to - being a sportsman, you're built up as an indestructible athlete."

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Giving a sweet nod to Kate, Rio finished his acceptance speech by saying: 'The documentary was something that was going to be there for my three kids, and that was like a snapshot of that time of sadness.

'I'm just pleased to say that this documentary has played a part in propelling me forward into a period of happiness in my life now where my kids are very happy.'

The couple have been together for over a year, after they started dating in 2017. The footballer lost his wife Rebecca, in 2015, who died of breast cancer.

Jessica Ransom
Senior Food Writer

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.