The footballer’s wife, Rebecca Ellison, mother to his three children, “passed away peacefully” on Friday night. According to reports , Rio Ferdinand confirmed his wife, Rebecca Ellison, has died from cancer. The footballer, a defender for Queen’s Park Rangers, said his “wonderful wife” passed away peacefully at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London after a short illness. In a statement, he added: “My soulmate slipped away last night. She was a fantastic, loving mother to our three beautiful children. “She will be missed as a wife, sister, aunt, daughter and granddaughter. She will live on in our memory, as a guide and inspiration.