Simon Thomas has revealed his wife Derrina gave birth eight weeks early after suffering from preeclampsia.
The 49-year-old presenter revealed on Instagram on Wednesday that they had welcomed a baby daughter after going through a “terrified” labor the previous day.
It comes five years after Simon lost his first wife Gemma to blood cancer in 2017, three days after she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
New arrival: Simon Thomas has revealed his wife Derrina gave birth eight weeks early after suffering from pre-eclampsia
Simon announced in an Instagram post just last month that he and Derrina were expecting their first child together. Simon shares his son Ethan with his first wife Emma.
He made the happy announcement that he was expanding his family as he shared a snap of Derrina’s ultrasound.
Simon wrote: “Fourteen months ago today @chrissayburn & @brittanysipling sang this beautiful song of blessing over us.
‘Another little blessing is on the way…!’
Trouble: The 49-year-old presenter revealed on Instagram on Wednesday that they had welcomed a baby daughter after a “terrified” labor the previous day
Alongside this, he shared a video with clips from their wedding day before their hands slowly revealed the scan.
He also shared a heartwarming collage of photos from his life with Derrina, 31, along with a snap of the couple smiling with their son Ethan, 12, which he shared with Gemma.
Fellow TV presenters Dan Walker, Vernon Kay and Jenni Falconer congratulated him on his news.
Two years after Gemma’s death, Simon found love with Derrina and they were married in July 2021 in a ceremony at Norwich Cathedral.
Sweet: Simon made the happy announcement that he was expanding his family with a sweet Instagram post on Saturday, as he shared a snap of his wife’s ultrasound scan
Tragic: The 49-year-old Sky Sports presenter lost his first wife Gemma (both pictured with Ethan) to blood cancer in 2017, just three days after adults were diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia
The former Blue Peter presenter shared a photo of himself looking delighted on his wedding day as he walked his elegant bride down the aisle to an applauding gathering of well-wishers.
Beneath the heartwarming image, the Norfolk-born father-of-one, who lost his first wife Gemma to leukemia in late 2017, simply wrote: “Love. Wins.’
The happy couple’s big day was attended by many of Simon’s TV presenters’ friends, including several former Blue Peter and CBBC presenters.
Love: As an aside, he shared a video with clips from their wedding day before their hands slowly revealed the scan
Exciting revelation: The couple’s hands and the hands of Simon’s son Ethan were taken away to then show the ultrasound scan
Simon is often open about the tragic death of his late wife and said last month that his new wife Derrina is struggling with “guilt” in the run-up to the anniversary of Gemma’s death.
He appeared on Kate Ferdinand’s Blended podcast and said he viewed the anniversaries of his first wife’s death simply as “markers in time.”
But Derrina thinks the family should do more to celebrate their lives for Ethan, who Simon shares with Gemma.
Baby on the way: The sweet video shared by Simon also included a close-up of the ultrasound scan
Simon said: “I think sometimes you struggle with guilt a bit, especially around anniversaries. I’m very comfortable with anniversaries because I don’t overthink them.
“I think the first year you take losses those firsts are massive and each first is a hurdle to overcome but it gets easier over time.
“I’m not someone who wants to do something particularly meaningful on every anniversary. They are just time markers to me. But from Ethan’s point of view, it’s an ‘do you want to do something?’
Family: He also shared a heartwarming collage of photos from his life with Derrina, along with a snap of the couple smiling with their son Ethan, 12, who he shared with Gemma
In love: Simon also took to his story on Saturday to share a snap with Ethan, who he said would be an “amazing big brother”.
Simon explained that while Derrina is often keen on celebrating the anniversary, Ethan often prefers a low-key day, perhaps sending out a “balloon with a little message” rather than a big event.
“I think sometimes she feels like we should be doing more because you feel guilty that maybe we’re not doing enough and I try to reassure Derrina and say it’s okay.”
Derrina spoke about taking on her new husband’s grief and insisted she was more emotional than Simon and Ethan on Gemma’s last two anniversaries, despite never having met them.
“You just feel this real guilt and I definitely feel that, especially the last two [anniversaries] I was probably more emotional than both of you [Simon and Ethan]She said.
Happy day: Two years after Gemma’s death, Simon found love with Derrina and they married in a ceremony at Norwich Cathedral in July 2021
“It’s silly because I didn’t know Gemma, but you’re assuming what everyone else in the wider circle is feeling.
“I think there’s a little bit of sensitivity, but it’s also that empath who’s just like, ‘This is horrific.’ I definitely take on other people’s sadness and loss and I definitely get emotional.
She got emotional when she was open about comparing herself to Gemma, admitting that the “little voice in her head” often told her that “Gemma could have done better”.
“As a woman you’re so aware of how things were and nobody ever said ‘mama would have done it like this, or Gemma would have done it like this’, nobody ever said that.
Joy: On her birthday in May 2020, the TV personality thanked then-girlfriend Derrina for making him “happier than he dared believe he could be again”.
“But in your head, that little thing on your shoulder is going to say, ‘She would have done better, made a birthday really good, or Christmas really good,’ and you’re so aware of that when you’re in that situation.”
Simon’s late wife Gemma Thomas tragically died in November 2017, a year after she was sent home to bed rest by her GP after three visits with flu-like symptoms.
On her birthday in May 2020, the TV personality thanked then-girlfriend Derrina for making him “happier than he dared believe he could be again.”
Sharing a black and white snap of Derrina, Simon said he was “head over heels in love” and said his life and that of his son had been “blessed” by Derrina, who he began dating in 2018 after he reports said group had been met by a church.
Cancer: Simon and Gemma tied the knot in 2005 and were married for 12 years before Gemma passed away suddenly three days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia
Sharing the picture on his Instagram account, he wrote: “A very happy birthday to this very, very special woman. I cannot express how much this woman changed my life.
“She has loved me when I was hard to love, stood by me when I screwed up, walked by my side when there were easier ways to walk, and made me happier than I ever dared believe I could ever be again.”
He added: “Sometimes people don’t always see that. They say it’s good that she keeps the boys company or is there to take care of them. But Derrina isn’t a nurse, she’s the woman I fell head over heels in love with.
“My life and my boy’s life have been massively blessed by her and she deserves all the love in the world because she is one of a kind. Happy birthday @derrina xxxx (I know she’s not a fan of PDAs.
Simon and Gemma married in 2005 and were married for 12 years before Gemma passed away suddenly three days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live in November 2018, the ex-sports presenter addressed his new relationship for the first time – although he kept Derrina’s identity anonymous at the time – saying it had been “an incredible support” for him.
The father-of-one admitted he could fall in love but said Gemma could never be replaced, saying: “I’m very aware that she was someone I didn’t know before and have gotten to know over the last few weeks and months.
“From the start she had this empathy towards me. She is also a Christian and that is important to me as a man of faith.
“She’s been an incredible support to me. She was the only person who always answered the phone. What I saw in her, I saw in Gemma. When she said my phone was always on, she meant it.”
The former Blue Peter presenter, who describes himself as a “man of faith,” reportedly met Derrina through his church.
Derrina is the daughter of a minister and currently works in the legal industry.
Awareness: Simon’s late wife Gemma tragically died in November 2017, a year after she was sent home to bed rest by her GP after three visits with flu-like symptoms