Rio Ferdinand joins KISS Breakfast to talk about a new partnership with the station
Rio Ferdinand joined Jordan and Perri on KISS Breakfast this morning to launch a new partnership with his charity, the Rio Ferdinand Foundation and KISS.
Speaking about the new campaign #notboxed, he said: “It’s all about helping young people. Yes with education, but also opportunities as well in employment and work.
“I’m really thankful the music industry has taken a keen interest and put their money where their mouth us. KISS, Warner Music, the One Love festival.
“Music is really embedded in what we’re doing at the moment…Every industry, every young person is affected. A lot of people are pressured into accepting short-term, zero hours or unfulfilling jobs due to the current climate. With the right support we can unlock that.”
Speaking about his motivation behind the campaign, Rio, who has children himself, agrees that this is a personal campaign to him: “My mind has always been don’t pigeonhole me… all young people need to feel free and have the ability to dream big, but also have the opportunity to execute. They need to open up to the opportunity,” he said.
Rio admitted that juggling promoting campaigns with his other work commitments and family life isn’t as easy as it looks. He joked that his wife would say he doesn’t manage it well!
“You try and get balance in your life,” he explained, “Being a dad and a husband is the first and foremost of what you get up and strive to be the best at. Then obviously other stuff takes place as well. The gym workouts in the morning with my Mrs is a good time as well. I’m lucky to be able to do that.”
When Rio was asked if his wife Kate gets competitive in their workout sessions? He shared: “She’s ultra-competitive. She ain’t on my levels obviously. But she’s proper competitive and do you know what, I’m full of admiration for her as well for the way she gets up, she gets into it.
“Listen you know what’s it like when women have babies, it’s a very, very emotional time and obviously they’re looking at their bodies and want to bounce back and stuff like that.
“There’s a lot of pressure now with social media and stuff like that. She just gets her head down. And what I like about her is that food wise we still get to eat a lot of what we want to eat, and we get a takeaway on a Friday. We just do it in the right way, she’s diligent. Listen, I love working out. It sets the right tone for your mind and your body for the rest of the day.”
When Perri suggested that “couples that work out together stay together”, Rio responded “Yeah, we will.”
The #notboxed campaign is a programme of events and opportunities to address new insights around young people’s futures and drive new investment and support from business and government, other decision-makers and people in power. The campaign will see KISS shine a light on real stories and amplify the work the Rio Ferdinand Foundation aims to do over the next year.
KISS Breakfast presenters Jordan and Perri said: “It’s such a fragile time for young people in the UK with the pandemic having shattered already difficult times in finding their next steps in life. We’re proud to stand by Rio’s mission in shining a light on their stories and helping to find solutions.”