Simon Thomas becomes a dad for the third time as he welcomes a son with his wife Derrina

Simon Thomas and his wife Derrina have welcomed their second child together, a son Theo Benjamin Thomas.

The former Blue Peter presenter announced the happy news on Instagram on Friday as he shared a candid photo of the couple with their newborn baby.

The TV star, 51, who is currently the presenter of Soccer Saturday, told how proud he is of his wife Derrina after the couple endured a difficult birth with their first child, Talitha.

Talitha was born prematurely nineteen months ago, so he explained that Derrina wanted to reach full term with this pregnancy.

He posted a lengthy caption: “After ten long days of endless hospital visits and uncertainty, feel incredibly blessed to say that Theo Benjamin Thomas was born this week – Ethan and Talitha have a baby brother!

‘After the drama and fear of Talitha’s premature arrival nineteen months ago, this time was so different and we are so grateful for that.

‘I’m so proud of @derrina. She desperately wanted to reach full term this time and she did. She is a great mother and I know he has a mother who will always be his biggest cheerleader.”

Simon further thanked the doctors and midwives at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and said he hoped his wife and son will be discharged from hospital this weekend.

He continued: “It’s been a long few days and not without some drama along the way; but as always we are incredibly grateful to the wonderful doctors and midwives at Stoke Mandeville Hospital for helping us get through it.

‘Now it’s time to get Derrina and Theo home from hospital hopefully this weekend.

“I hate missing work, especially now that we’ve reached the climax of the season; but family comes first, so i won’t be on #footballsaturday this weekend, but i’ll be back next week.

‘Thank you and the team for your support and to the lovely @samjmills19 for joining us over the last few weeks.’

As well as Talitha, Simon also shares son Ethan, 12, with his first wife Gemma, who tragically passed away after a battle with blood cancer in 2017.

In March, Simon said he felt “blessed” as he prepared to welcome his second child with Derrina, whom he married in 2021.

He explained that he feels “really lucky to have the life that I have,” despite the loss of his first wife.

He told The mirror: ‘The baby is due in a few weeks, so pretty close to the end of the football season.

‘It was a huge joy to see that Ethan had Talitha at home, and in a few weeks another brother or sister, so it was lovely. Of course there is an age difference, but they have a great bond.

‘The way her face lights up when he comes home from school. She can now say “hi” and she loves watching him play his guitar. So it’s been a real source of joy.

“Sometimes it sounds strange to say I’m blessed by what happened, but I’m really happy to have the life I have now and to have a normal job again.”

Simon announced in January that he was expecting his second child with his wife Derrina.

The TV personality, who previously presented Sky Sports and Blue Peter, shared the sweet update to mark his birthday.

Uploading a photo of this son Ethan and daughter Talitha with an ultrasound scan, he revealed that “a little brother or sister” was on the way.

Simon captioned the post explaining what he was grateful for in his life, adding: ‘Today marks another milestone in life’s rich journey as another birthday approaches.

‘Do I wish I was ten years younger? Sure I will. But am I grateful that someone else has come this far, that they have been given the gift of another year of life? Massive.’

He continued: These are just a few of the many things I am grateful for today… I have a loving, caring and beautiful wife and an amazing son and daughter.

“Having the opportunity to love and be loved again after everything that has happened in my life is an incredible blessing.

‘Being a blended family sometimes isn’t always easy; and we have had to face many challenges along the way; but I’m so glad we’ve always held each other, no matter what season we’re in.

“And finally, I am excited and grateful that in about three months (just in time for the climax of football season), a little brother or sister for Ethan and Talitha will enter the world.

‘The only thing we hope and pray for now is that they are healthy and unlike Talitha; their entrance into this world is a little less dramatic and not as early!

“And finally, and most importantly, I am grateful to God who is always faithful no matter what season of my life I am in.

‘(And for those for whom the whole area of ​​having children can be a trigger, I hope this isn’t a difficult read. As someone who lived through the pain of fertility issues many years ago, I know something of how incredible heavy it is.)

In April 2023, Simon opened up about the traumatic experience of losing his first wife to cancer in 2017 and revealed how God brought ‘love’ back into his life with Derrina.

He described the pain of his grief in an emotionally charged interview after his wife Gemma died within four days of being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

Gemma’s death in 2017 at the age of 40 resulted in what Simon described as a ‘life earthquake’, and as a result of her death he took time off to care for his eight-year-old son, effectively breaking his contract with Sky.

The presenter talked about the rapid progression of his wife’s illness and the profound impact it had on his life, including his struggle with his own faith.

“We went from Monday evening when she was diagnosed with some form of blood cancer. Things looked good for a few days, the treatment went well, but then things got out of hand.’

He continued: ‘On Friday she falls unconscious and at 8.30 on Friday morning I am told by a consultant that she will not spend the day.’

‘The foundations on which your life is built are shaking, a huge life earthquake is happening. And at 5:45 PM on that Friday in November 2017, at the age of 40, with an 8-year-old son and a husband, she is gone.

“The first thing I did when I got out of that hospital was fall to my knees and scream at God, ‘Why? Why why why? Why did you leave my son without a mother, I don’t understand’ , I don’t understand you God!”‘.

He has since rebuilt his career, now often appearing on channels such as Amazon Prime Video.