Fan sends incredible gift to widowed father Simon Thomas

Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas has thanked a fan who sent him a lovely gift in the wake of his wife's death.

Gemma, 40, died days after being diagnosed with a form of leukaemia in November, leaving the couple's eight-year-old son Ethan without a mother. Simon has stayed active on social media since the tragedy, sharing updates about life with Ethan Earlier this month, Simon shared something he's been doing to help his son through his grief. He revealed that he's been leaving encouraging notes with Ethan's lunch each day to keep the little boy going. One of Simon's followers was so taken with the idea that he decided to make a year's worth of notes for Simon and send them to him as a mark of support.

"Since Gemma went I have been so moved by the support and messages I get from people on here, people I haven’t even met, yet people who care about me and what I'm going through," Simon wrote this morning. "A guy called Dan Ritchie, who I have yet to meet (but will) had seen my notes for Ethan and felt I needed some too, to encourage me and help me keep going when I feel like giving up. So he's written me a daily note too - for every single day of the coming year!"

Simon announced Gemma's death in a tweet on 25 November, saying the loss had "crushed" him. "Just three days after falling ill with Acute Myloid Leukaemia, my dear wife Gemma passed away yesterday evening surrounded by her family and friends," he wrote. "If you are a prayer - pray for my boy Ethan. 8yrs, precious and in bits. Thank you."