TOWIE’s Kate Wright pays tribute to boyfriend Rio Ferdinand’s mum

Former TOWIE star Kate Wright has paid tribute to her boyfriend Rio Ferdinand's mother, Janice St Fort, after she passed away following her battle with cancer.

Taking to Instagram, Kate showed her support for Rio with a post featuring the quote: "Always loved, never forgotten, forever missed."

She also captioned the post: “She’s Royal"

The sad news comes just two years after Rio's wife, Rebecca Ellison, died of the disease leaving behind three children.

Rio, his brother Anton and their two young siblings Sian and Jerimia issued the following statement: "We are heartbroken to announce that our amazing mum Janice passed away today after an ongoing battle with cancer.

“She was an inspiration to us all and was loved by everyone who knew her. She died at Guy’s Cancer Unit, London Bridge Hospital, with her loving husband Peter and us, her four children, at her bedside.

“She was a devoted mother to us all, and she was the most incredible grandmother to our children.

“The whole family are devastated. Our mum was the centre and the heart of our family and has supported us all through many difficult times, always with a smile on her face. Her strength and courage, as well as her great sense of humour and immense kindness, were never-ending.

“We would like to thank all the staff at Guy’s Cancer Unit for looking after our mum so well during her illness especially Marta and Joanna as well as everyone who has sent kind wishes to us all during this difficult time.”

Our thoughts go out to Rio and his family.

Kate and Rio recently made their relationship Instagram official. They posted matching Instagrams confirming their relationship once and for all.

Read more about that here.