Kate and Rio Ferdinand announce birth of ‘strong’ baby girl

Ex-England footballer Rio Ferdinand and former The Only Way Is Essex star Kate have announced the birth of their daughter.

The couple shared a black-and-white picture of the baby’s hands, with their hands, as well as those of Rio’s son Tate, placed on top.

Kate, 32, announced they had named the baby girl Shae, following her birth on Monday.

Sharing the news on Instagram, she wrote: “Our strong little girl,” adding a white love heart.

Celebrity friends including former Towie star Billie Faiers, Danielle Armstrong, Megan McKenna and Georgia Kousoulou were among those sending their best wishes, alongside Ferne McCann who said: “I love the name”.

It comes two-and-a-half years after the “traumatic birth” of the couple’s first son Cree, after Kate revealed she had to have a caesarean.

Last June, she said she was “devastated and heartbroken” as she revealed she had lost her unborn second child.

Kate and Rio have been in a relationship since 2017 and were married in September 2019.

Former Manchester United star Rio already has three children from his previous marriage – sons Tate and Lorenz, and daughter Tia.

Rio Ferdinand’s late wife Rebecca died in 2015, aged 34, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time.