Presenter Simon Thomas explains why he kept engagement to Derrina Jebb private

Ex-‘Blue Peter’ presenter recently surprised fans by revealing he had got married on 3 July

Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas and Derrina Jebb (Instagram/Simon Thomas)

Former Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas has explained why he chose to keep news of his recent engagement private.

Thomas recently married his girlfriend, Derrina Jebb, with the couple having dated for two years.

The former Blue Peter presenter’s first wife of 12 years, Gemma, died suddenly in 2017 at the age of 40, three weeks after being diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia.

Thomas discussed his grief publicly, writing about it in the book Love, Interrupted: Navigating Grief One Day At A Time.

He has now revealed that his openness about Gemma’s death prompted him to be more private with news of his second marriage.

Posting on Instagram, Thomas shared previously unseen photos documenting his proposal, alongside a message.

“We didn’t share the news because having shared so much of my life over the past few years, this was something special that we wanted to keep to ourselves and those we love until we had got married,” he explained.

“To enjoy the joy of being engaged without everybody else knowing.”

He added that they had originally planned to get married last New Year’s Eve, before the wedding was postponed due to the pandemic.

Thomas described the wedding as “the most joy filled, love filled day we could ever have wished for”.