Rio Ferdinand engaged to girlfriend Kate Wright – what a proposal!

Congratulations are in order for Rio Ferdinand and his girlfriend Kate Wright! The couple are engaged, after Rio planned a very lavish proposal on the top of the St. Regis Abu Dhabi hotel. Rio and Kate appear to be posing on a helipad, and there to witness the magical moment were Rio's three children: Lorenz, Tate and Tia.

The retired footballer revealed that his children were in on the secret. "She said yes," he wrote on Instagram. "How these 3 kids kept it a secret I'll never know." Kate shared the same incredible rooftop photo and captioned it: "The perfect end to our holiday ... How could the answer not be yes."

The footballer's three children were present

Rio and Kate have been dating since 2016, after the sports star tragically lost his wife Rebecca to cancer in May 2015. Earlier this year, the doting dad opened up about his plans to propose. Speaking to the Daily Star in May, he said: "We do talk about it. But I'm not going to sit here and give you a date."

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Essex beauty Kate has also spoken about becoming a stepmother to Rio's three children. "I've had a few stepmums but they weren't in my life majorly," she told the Daily Mail's You magazine. "When I was nine I wasn't even invited to my dad's wedding; I was very upset. My experience has helped define how I want to treat Rio's kids and how I want them to see me."

Rio and Kate have been dating since 2016

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She also explained how she was first introduced to the children, saying it was a gradual process. "We've involved them in everything. First I visited with friends, then Rio said, 'I'd like to take Kate on a date, is that OK?'" She continued: "Whenever we did something together, like go to the pub and have a roast dinner, we'd come back and do something fun with the kids, so that every time I spent time with their dad they'd look forward to it."

Rio stars in Being Mum and Dad:

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