DOTING DADS WHO’VE HAD TO PICK UP THE PIECES

RIO FERDINAND Former England football captain Rio Ferdinand, 40, lost his wife Rebecca Ellison to breast cancer in 2015, leaving him to raise their children, Lorenz, 12, Tate, ten, and Tia, seven. Rio has since opened up about being “mum and dad”, saying, “There are so many daunting things. As men, we think we’re doing a great job as a parent when the breakfast is ready, and the kids are dressed and ready for school. We think we’ve done our job, when really, we’re only doing the easiest ten per cent.”

JEFF BRAZIER TV presenter and former professional footballer Jeff Brazier, 39, shared sons Bobby, 15, and Freddie, 14, with reality star Jade Goody, who died in 2009 after a battle with cervical cancer. Jeff said, “It’s so important for single parents to have a strong and reliable support network around them. Nothing induces guilt like parenthood, but we all have to work. As a presenter, I travel fairly often, [but] I entrust the boys with my best friends.”

TOM ZANETTI DJ Tom Zanetti, 29, lost his girlfriend and mother of his only child, Lizzie Pickavance, in 2010, when she died in a tragic car accident. He has opened up about the struggles of single parenting son Deaconn, 12. Tom said, “It’s not easy. I remember becoming a father at 17 and feeling absolutely knackered, waking up to feed my baby five times a night. But no matter how difficult the situation was, Deaconn has always made me smile. I learn from him every day.”