'Beautiful couple' - Rio Ferdinand shares first romantic snap with Kate Wright and delights fans

Rio Ferdinand appears to be more serious about his relationship with former Towie star Kate Wright than ever, sharing his first couple shot with the 26-year-old on his Instagram page.

The 39-year-old football pundit and wannabe boxer posted a romantic picture next to his girlfriend in front of a heavily-adorned Christmas tree during a date night at upmarket Manchester eatery Rosso.

Colour-coordinated in all-black clothing, Ferdinand looked smart casual in a button-down long-sleeved black polo top paired with black jeans and white trainers.

Wright was her typical glamorous self in a black bodysuit by House of CB paired with a velvet Zara miniskirt and pearl-embellished blazer from online retailer Boohoo. She completed the evening attire with a red shoulder bag, stylish over-the-knee suede boots and her flaxen locks worn in a sleek, straight style.

Ferdinand was obviously blown away by his girlfriend's amazing appearance, and couldn't wait to share a snap of them both from their romantic evening without his three children.

Showing his gratitude towards the restaurant, Ferdinand captioned the shot: "Always a lovely night at @rossorestaurant food & vibes ".

His fans were delighted to see his first official picture with Wright, with one person commenting: "Deserve this rio❤ atleast you ain't 'punching' above your weight ❤ happy you can look forward again❤#alwaysbeourhero #alwaysbeourlegend".

Another said: "Beautiful couple ", while a third added: "Happy for you mate".

The couple have kept tight-lipped on their romance, and it was revealed earlier this year that Wright gave up her reality television career to focus on Ferdinand and raising his three children: Lorenz, Tate and Tia.

Ferdinand moved on with Wright over a year after he was left devastated by his wife Rebecca Ellison's death from breast cancer in 2015, with the pair holidaying together in the likes of Portugal and Dubai in recent months,

Speaking about his new relationship on This Morning in October, Ferdinand told Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: "I'm really happy now, the kids are really happy, it's the happiest they've been. I'm in a relationship and it's going well.

"My kids deserve to be happy, they've had tragedy for the last few years of their lives.

"They have to be part of that conversation. There's not been at any stage going into this relationship that they've not been involved. Even in terms of introducing – how they want it to be done," he added.