TOWIE relationships
Rumours have been R swirling about their romantic status since December, and had appeared to be confirmed last week when former England footballer Rio Ferdinand was reportedly seen leaving TOWIE star Kate Wright’s Essex home following an overnight stay. Despite being in the early stages of their romance, after being introduced while on holiday in Dubai, pals say the reality star has already developed strong feelings for the 38-year-old – whose wife Rebecca tragically died in May 2015 from breast cancer aged just 34, leaving him a single dad to their three children.
A source says: “Kate’s been deliberately keeping their relationship low-profile as she’s extremely sensitive to Rio’s situation, but she’s loved-up and ready to get serious.
“They see each other a couple of times a week and usually meet at Kate’s house as Rio hasn’t introduced her to his kids yet – something Kate is very understanding of. But she’s keen to take things to the next level and would like them to be more involved in each other’s lives.”
Kate, 25 – whose rocky relationship with childhood sweetheart Dan Edgar played out on TOWIE – revealed she was seeing someone just before Christmas, but remained tightlipped on his identity, saying: “I’ve got with one guy since breaking up with Dan.”
Despite the pair keeping their romance quiet, Dan’s TOWIE pal and co-star James Lock spoke out about the surprise coupling last month, saying: “It was a bit of a shock to the system for everyone. It came out of nowhere.”
Pals recently told Closer how Kate was in no rush to go public with Rio. A source says: “Kate’s used to airing her love life on TV but this is a different situation and she’s not put any pressure on Rio to publicise their romance. Kate’s been burnt badly in the past but says everything feels right with Rio – she finally feels like she’s part of a ‘grown-up’ couple.”