Rio Ferdinand praised his three young children for their 'resilience' and 'character' in a very moving Instagram post.
In May 2015 Rio's wife Rebecca died at the age of 34 after a short battle with breast cancer, leaving behind Lorenz, 13, Tate, 10 and eight-year-old Tia.
Four years after the family tragedy, Rio was in a reflective mood as he admitted he never thought he'd see his children happy again.
Sharing a snap of his three kids with their arms wrapped around each other after a day at the beach, Rio wrote: "Maaaaaan, did I ever think I’d see these 3 as happy and as full of life again....probably not at certain times."
He went on: "A lot has been thrown in their young paths but the resilience & character they have shown has been amazing.
"Living under 1 roof with 4 people that inspire me daily is a blessing," he added.
Rio is currently engaged to girlfriend Kate Wright, who is stepmum to his three children.
After falling in love with the former footballer, Kate opted to quit her job on TOWIE to help raise his kids.
Kate said the decision was a no-brainer, despite some people telling her she'd fail as a stepmum because she didn't have kids of her own.
She previously said: "It is challenging but it's just as amazing. It was always going to be a hard job, it was never going to be easy but I love it and I couldn't imagine life without the three children."
And Kate makes sure to keep the memory of their 'irreplaceable' mum alive, revealing there's a special room in their house devoted to their mum.
Kate also said she underwent therapy to help her make their 'blended family' work.
"I’m all about understanding myself and the situation that I’ve come into. You’ve just got to be there.
"It’s hard to explain, but I have to be good to be able to look after everyone else," she told the Daily Star.
Last November, Rio asked Kate to be a permanent fixture in his kids' lives as he popped the question on a family holiday to Abu Dhabi.
Kate has since revealed that Rio's daughter Tia will be maid of honour at their big day.
