Simon Thomas shares joy as wife Derrina falls pregnant – five years after sad death of first wife Gemma
SIMON Thomas has announced wife Derrina is pregnant with their first child - five years after the tragic death of his first wife Gemma.
The former Sky Sports presenter took to Instagram to share their happy news and said he will become a dad again, a year after he married Derrina, 31.
Simon, 49, penned: "Fourteen months ago today, @chrissayburn & @brittanysipling sang this beautiful song of blessing over us.
"There’s another little blessing on its way…🕊"
He also shared a heartwarming collage of photos from his life with Derrina and their wedding day, along with a snap of the couple smiling with his son Ethan, who he shared with Gemma.
The TV star lost Gemma in November 2017 just three days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
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She sadly died when she was 40 years old, with their child aged eight.
Fellow TV presenters Dan Walker, Vernon Kay and Jenni Falconer congratulated him on his news.
Jenni said: "Ah what wonderful news. Congratulations ❤️"
Another fan said: "👏😢 lovely news congratulations to u all"
Derrina is a church minister's daughter who currently works in the legal industry.
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Simon left his Sky Sports job to care for Ethan and has now become the president of Blood Cancer UK.
The ex anchor first revealed he was dating Derrina on BBC Radio 5 Live in November 2018.
He said: "Right from the early stages, she had this empathy towards me. She’s Christian as well and that’s important to me as a man of faith.
"She’s been an incredible support for me. She was the only person who would always pick up the phone.
"What I saw in her, I saw in Gemma. When she said my phone is always on, she meant it."
A year prior Simon was "crushed with indescribable pain" as he announced Gemma had tragically passed away following her short illness.
"Just three days after falling ill with Acute Myloid Leukaemia, my dear wife Gemma passed away yesterday evening surrounded by her family and friends," he said in a statement after she died.
"If you are a prayer - pray for my boy Ethan. 8yrs, precious and in bits. Thank you."
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Norfolk-born Thomas joined Blue Peter in 1999, replacing Richard Bacon, and worked alongside the likes of Konnie Huq, Matt Baker and Zoe Salmon during his six years on the BBC children's show.
He left for Sky Sports in 2005 and has worked on a number of projects, most recently presenting live Premier League coverage for the channel.
