Dear Santa, I would like Playmobil, Lego ... and Mummy back
WRITTEN with the tender hand of a grieving child, it is the most heartbreaking of letters to Father Christmas.
Eight-year-old Ethan Thomas lost his mother Gemma to leukaemia last month, just three days after she was diagnosed.
His father Simon Thomas, a former Blue Peter host and now a Sky Sports presenter, has spoken of his own ‘indescribable pain’ and said his son was ‘in bits’ over his mother’s death.
On Christmas Eve he uploaded a picture of his son’s letter to Santa on the photo sharing website Instagram.
In it, Ethan asks Father Christmas for Playmobil and Lego toys, ending the list by asking for his ‘mummy back’. Mr Thomas, 44, wrote: ‘I just wish I could give him the third.’
He added: ‘Four weeks ago today Gemma entered her final hour. Four long weeks. Four painfilled weeks. Four life changing weeks and yet I still can’t comprehend that she’s gone.
‘I have that eternal hope, but right now it just hurts. It hurts so much, but the darkness will not overcome me.’
Footballers, including Leicester striker Jamie Vardy and England women’s captain Steph Houghton, replied to the post offering their sympathy, while Norwich, the team Mr Thomas supports, extended their thoughts to the presenter and his family. Fellow presenters Dan Walker and Rachel Riley also offered words of comfort.
Mrs Thomas, 40, died after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow. After her death, Mr Thomas said: ‘My little boy had a little time with her but she wasn’t able to speak to him... Today is the hardest pain I have ever felt ever.’
Mr Thomas spent six years with Blue Peter, joining in 1999. He now presents Premier League football on Sky Sports.