Rio Ferdinand was "so emotional" when he saw Kate Wright walk down the aisle with his children.
The 40-year-old sportsman tied the knot with the 28-year-old beauty on the beach at the D. Maris Bay Hotel in Marmaris, Turkey, on Friday (27.09.19) and the former ‘Only Way is Essex’ star was given away by 13-year-old Lorenz and 11-year-old Tate while their eight-year-old sister Tia was maid of honour.
Kate said: "Having the boys walk me down the aisle was just amazing. It was a hugely important moment for me and they did so well.
"Seeing Rio at the altar made me feel so happy, I couldn’t wait to get to him.
"Especially as he was so emotional. It was everything that I had imagined it to be, but I didn’t cry at that moment. I cried all my tears in the morning!"
Rio – who had his kids with late wife Rebecca Ellison – added: "Seeing Tia walk up the aisle before Kate set me off.
"It was just so emotional. There was just no going back on the emotion, that’s why I had to keep my shades on!
"Seeing Tate and Lorenz walk Kate down the aisle was particularly poignant and we wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way. They were so proud and they couldn’t wait to do that, they felt important.
"Kate was adamant she wanted the kids involved and that is a true reflection of how she is – she wants them involved in every part of our lives.
"We decided the children would have major roles at the wedding, it was so important to us."
While Rio, 40, wasn’t looking for love when he first met Kate, the former footballer – whose spouse died of breast cancer in 2015 – knew she was "special" from the moment they met.
He gushed to Britain’s OK! magazine: "I definitely wasn’t looking for someone at that time.
"I didn’t think it was possible, I wasn’t open to bringing someone in to become a stepmum to the kids. Things don’t always go the way you imagine. Meeting Kate changed everything and sometimes it’s just fate.
"I knew Kate was special from the moment I met her, it was pretty instant, but seeing her with the kids cemented everything, that was a huge part of it for me. So many pieces of the jigsaw have to click together for it to work and the wedding was the final piece."
And Kate was convinced they would wed after their first meeting.
She said: "The night I met Rio I knew I was going to marry him. I met him and we just clicked straight away.
"We didn’t kiss or anything but I went back to my room that night and I told all my friends that I’m going to marry him. And here I am, I just knew. You know when you just click – we both felt it and have talked about it since."
Rio Ferdinand emotional at wedding
