Kate Ferdinand says she ‘still feels like an outsider’ within her blended family
Kate Ferdinand has shared some insight into family life, revealing she still, at times, feels like an "outsider" within her blended family.
The 31-year-old is married to Rio Ferdinand, 44, and is stepmother to the former footballer's three kids, Tate, 13, Lorenz, 15, and Tia, 11. The couple also have a one-year-old son together, Cree.
The former England captain's first wife Rebecca died in 2015, aged 34, after a battle with breast cancer and Ferdinand has often talked about navigating her step parenthood journey.
In the most recent episode of her podcast, Blended, which aims to raise awareness of the issues and provide support to a community of blended families, Ferdinand reveals that she can sometimes get "over-emotional" about certain things and on occasion does not feel a part of the family.
That is despite admitting she has always been fully embraced by her step family.
Watch: Kate Ferdinand talks about being judged, never feeling good enough and how meeting Rio changed her outlook
Her confession came during a discussion with Alex Willumsen about how long it takes for a blended family to become "formed".
Read more: Kelsey Parker shares Kate Ferdinand’s advice on life after Tom
"They say four to seven years and I'm at the kind of five year mark and I'm feeling good, I'm feeling a lot better than where I was at the beginning," Ferdinand said.
"I still feel... no one makes me feel like this by the way, this is me and myself... that I'm sometimes not part of the family.
"I sometimes get over emotional about some things and certain things trigger me because it makes me feel like an outsider.
"None of my family do anything to make me feel like that. They are welcoming, they do everything that they could possibly do in all honesty but I'm just so emotional about it."
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Ferdinand went on to say how some aspects of being a step parent are difficult. "I'm not saying it's all hard, because some bits are amazing, but it is just different to being a biological parent," she explained.
The pair discuss the term "childless step mum" which is what Ferdinand says she was when she met her step children. "Not saying that any route is harder, having children or not having children before, but I find that especially hard."
The former reality TV star has often spoken openly about her experiences and the emotions attached to being part of a blended family.
Most recently she revealed that in caring for her husband's children, who were grieving the lost of their mother, she was reminded that she is “strong” and could “actually handle a lot.”
In turn, her new family embraced her, giving her the “love that I needed when I was young”.
Read more: Kate Ferdinand says she suffered from imposter syndrome when she became a step mum
“I've got this family that I always wanted, but just in a different kind of route to what I expected,” she told Kate Thornton, the host of Yahoo UK podcast White Wine Question Time.
“I've just received these bonus three kids that I love dearly. It's emotional to think of the journey we've been on, and where we are now.”
In a previous interview with ITV News she revealed she struggled with imposter syndrome after "stepping into a readymade family".
"It's taken me quite a while to feel comfortable in my role, but I think that's something that a lot of step parents do go through," she said.
Read more: Kate Ferdinand: ‘Rio and his children gave me the love I needed’
She also revealed that in the beginning of her step mum journey she "didn't know where to turn", adding that though there were lots of resources for first-time mums, the same support didn't seem to exist for blended families.
"I just didn't know where to turn or where to go to, and I just felt really alone."
Ferdinand has also recently opened up about her role as a step mum on an episode of the podcast Made By Mammas, in which she said that being a step parent is a "huge role" and one that involves quite a bit of pressure.
"I find it sometimes it's a lot more pressure - I don't know if I put the pressure on myself - than a biological parent because I'm so desperate to make it work," she said.
