WHEN Simon Thomas lost his wife Gemma six years ago, he was struggling to cope and trying to raise their son Ethan alone.

But thanks to his second wife Derrina Jebb, the family has been pieced back together and Simon credits her with saving his son.

Now the pair have one-year-old daughter Talitha and another baby on the way.

In an exclusive interview, Soccer ­Saturday host Simon, 51, who admits to drinking heavily after his wife’s death, says: “Without a doubt, she’s the reason Ethan is on a level footing.

“Derrina has been a massive blessing to us after everything that happened.

“She is a mother figure who came into his life, and it’s an amazing sacrifice to love someone else’s child.

“So, despite everything that’s happened, Ethan is incredibly lucky and blessed, which is a weird thing to say.

“But Derrina loves him like he’s her own.”

Gemma, 40, died just three days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in 2017 when Ethan was eight.

It left her husband and son understandably devastated, and Simon struggled to go on after the loss but kept trying for his son’s sake.

But as he continued to struggle with grief, his boozing got out of control.

He admitted previously: “For months every single night was a battle not to drink. Occasionally I would win, mostly I lost.

“I would sink a litre of vodka in an evening, disguised in a coke can.”

“In social situations, where I felt more paranoid than I had ever done before, it became an even bigger mask.”

Simon found himself “on the verge of losing everything” as he tried to “numb the pain”.

He has now been sober for more than two years and is able to fully embrace family and work. Talking about his lifestyle change, he said:

“The biggest benefit is the joy of being present.

“I know for parents it’s hard on a whole number of fronts — there is a battle for our attention.

“I’ve really enjoyed just being there. It’s without a doubt one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

He met Derrina, 31, a pastor’s daughter, a year after Gemma’s death and she has been by his side ever since.

It was a challenging journey, but I consider myself fortunate to have both of them in my life.

Derrina became a part of Ethan’s life when he was just ten years old, and since then, they have formed an inseparable bond. She is his primary source of support whenever he struggles with his homework.

Simon expressed: “Stepmothers often have a negative image due to their portrayal in some children’s movies, however, in my view, the most wonderful gift you can present a child is they should be loved as if they were your own.”

“She opted to love him even though he does not share her biological bond. That’s an extraordinary commitment to a child.”

Simon is collaborating with Konnie Huq, his former Blue Peter co-worker, on Talking Futures, a platform that promotes discussions between parents and children about the future. He frequently shares pictures of his new wife and their son online.

Derrina, Simon’s wife, ensures that the family does not forget Gemma. They commemorate Gemma’s memory through actions like releasing balloons on her birthday and speaking about her at home.

About eighteen months ago, Simon and Derrina welcomed their first child, Talitha. Now, they are awaiting the birth of another child, which Ethan, their son, hopes will be a boy.

They have chosen to keep the gender a surprise until the birth, as Simon pointed out, “there are so few surprises left these days.”

Simon was attentive to ensuring his son’s comfort with the new addition to the family, acknowledging the vast age difference after years of being an only child.

He, along with Gemma, longed for another child, but the struggle with fertility problems stymied their efforts to conceive.

In a 2023 conversation on Streams Studio via social media, Simon reflected: “Post Ethan, Gemma and I wished to provide him with a sibling but we discovered that Gemma was facing significant fertility troubles. Following two attempts at IVF and experiencing a miscarriage, we realized it was not destined, but one child was indeed a blessing.”

Simon recounts how a young Ethan would inquire about getting a sibling, and how he transitioned naturally and readily into his renewed responsibilities as an elder brother.

Simon states: “He’s greatly enjoyed it. It represented a significant shift for him, given that he had been an only child for 13 years and was accustomed to that lifestyle.

“Talitha was born eight weeks prematurely, which was unexpected. Despite the age difference, they have a wonderful bond.

“It’s a joy to see Ethan’s expression light up when he returns from school, and she always enjoys waving him goodbye in the morning. Ethan has been taking guitar lessons for some time and is making progress.

“He typically practices for twenty minutes before school, and Talitha invariably runs over to watch him perform.”

The final weeks of the birth were tough as Derrina suffered pre-eclampsia, a dangerous condition for both mum and tot.

Posting about the birth of their daughter, Simon said: “One moment we think we’ve got eight weeks until our little one arrives, the next, after Derrina fell rapidly ill, we’re suddenly welcoming into the world a very tiny, but hugely precious, baby girl weighing just over three pounds.”

Thankfully, both mum and baby recovered well after the “fear-filled” labour, but it did mean a stressful adjustment period at home.

“We had a teenager in the house and a premature baby in the hospital,” Simon said. “It was a steep learning curve but I count myself lucky to have them both.”

Simon discovered that having a newborn is like exploring a new area.

He stated: “The cries of a newborn cannot be predicted or prepared for. The gap between when Ethan was that age and when Talitha was born was substantial. I had essentially forgotten most of it.”

Since stepping into his teenage years, Ethan has exhibited the typical characteristics of becoming less talkative. However, Simon and Derrina have noticed a significant transformation in him after he enlisted in the Army cadets three months ago.

“Being part of this organization has enhanced his sense of responsibility and initiative at home,” remarked Simon.

“We believe in teaching kids to take a role — I don’t want him to go to university and not know what a washing machine is. I’d be so embarrassed.”

Ethan is incredibly lucky because she loves him like her own. Stepmums get a bad rep but that’s an amazing gift to give a kid

“The cadets is helping him grow up a bit. It’s certainly triggered his organisational gene.” It has led to one bittersweet moment for Simon — no longer having to pack his son’s lunch.

Since the passing of Gemma, the former Blue Peter presenter has slipped a note into Ethan’s lunch box each day to remind his son how much he loves him.

Simon recently told The Sun, “I can’t recall the last time I prepared a sandwich for him. He now makes his own lunch every day.”

Ethan, the son, is considering becoming a journalist, not following in his father’s footsteps into television as either a children’s host or sports correspondent. This provides numerous topics for father-son discussions.

Simon shared, “We’ve had numerous discussions about his future career aspirations. At present, he’s inclined towards print journalism over TV. However, I’ve encouraged him to understand that it’s a competitively intense field.”

“I’ve suggested that he could begin his journey by proposing an idea of a school magazine to his school authorities.”

“He’ll soon be 16 and picking GCSEs and what direction to go in after. I think having these conversations with him is empowering, and it’s so important we don’t just avoid it.

“Some of my best conversations with Ethan have been in the car or on a walk. It makes it less intimidating than doing a version with lots of eye contact.”