She was only 28 when she met a man whose wife had died. He had an eight-year-old son. She wasn’t looking for fame. Just practising law in London. Establishing herself as a solicitor.
Now Derrina Jebb is 34, and she is married to Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas. Stepmother to his teenage son, Ethan. Mother of their two young children. A blended family that seems to somehow make it work against all odds.
Derrina was born in 1991 and raised as a church minister’s daughter. Derrina Jebb’s father was a Christian minister who raised her with strong Christian values. That upbringing would later matter more than she could have imagined.
By late 2018, she was working at a law firm in London and studying towards becoming a full-fledged solicitor. Specialising in fraud, media, and insolvency litigation. Career on track. Life sorted.
The Man With the Broken Past
Simon Thomas’ wife Gemma passed away in November 2017. Three days later, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. She was 40. Their son Ethan was eight. Simon, 45 at the time, was struggling to think of how he would continue living life when it seemed like everything had come undone.
They met through church. Both Christians. He needed someone to talk to. She picked up the phone. Every time.
“Right from the early stages, she had this empathy towards me,” Simon said on BBC Radio 5 Live in November 2018. “She’s Christian as well, and that’s important to me as a man of faith. She’s been an incredible support for me. She was the only person who would always pick up the phone.”
Derrina Jebb age was 27. He was 46. That age gap raised eyebrows. People talked, but she didn’t care.
My friend Emma met them at a church event in 2019. She told us that Dennina was quiet but very loving with Ethan. Not trying too hard. Just being kind. That’s when Emma knew it was real.
Becoming a Stepmother at 28
Being a stepparent is hard. Being one to a child who lost his mum? That’s brutal.
Ethan was nine when Derrina came into his life. He’d watched his mum die in days. Had his childhood ripped apart. Now here’s this woman his dad’s dating.
She didn’t try to replace Gemma Thomas. Just loved him. Patiently. No forcing it. Simon posted about their bond in October 2020. “Ethan might be easy to love, but to love a boy who isn’t her own flesh and blood in the way she does is something special.”
Even Gemma’s mum, Wendy Sonnex, praised her publicly. “Being a stepmum isn’t the easiest of roles, and Gemma’s shoes are hard to fill. Not that you can or would. Thank you, Derrina, for all you do for these two boys.”
Gemma’s own mother thanking her son-in-law’s new partner? That’s proper grace.
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The Private Wedding
They got engaged at Lower Mill Estate. Kept it quiet. Didn’t announce it publicly. For once, Simon wasn’t sharing everything. They’d planned to marry on New Year’s Eve 2020. COVID wrecked it. They rescheduled for 3 June 2021. Norwich Cathedral. Ethan was one of the best men.
Simon posted one photo that showed him and Derrina walking up the aisle. Caption: “Love. Wins.”
She wore a white off-the-shoulder dress with a long train. He wore navy with a white tie. She was 30. He was 48.
Building Her Own Career
People forget she wasn’t just “Simon Thomas’ wife.” She was working. Building her career.
She became a fully qualified lawyer in 2021. Simon posted about it proudly. “A proud day as I got to see my wonderful wife finally admitted to the Law Society.”
She worked at SA Law, St Albans and London. Then moved to Ingram Winter Green. Her profile says she “specialises in fraud, media and insolvency litigation and has acted in reported High Court cases.”
When trolls accused her of being with Simon for money, she hit back. “I earn my own salary and take the boys away, too, but thanks for taking the time to write a lovely comment.”
Derrina Jebb’s nationality isn’t confirmed publicly, though she’s British and London-based. Properly qualified in her field. Not riding anyone’s coattails.
The Terrifying Birth
September 2022, she announced she was pregnant. They’re first together. Due December. But on 4 October 2022, everything went wrong. She fell rapidly ill with pre-eclampsia. Emergency C-section at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Their daughter arrived eight weeks early. Just over three pounds.
Simon posted from the hospital. “Not everything in life goes quite according to plan. One moment, we think we’ve got eight weeks until our little one arrives; the next, after Derrina Jebb fell rapidly ill, we’re suddenly welcoming into the world a very tiny but hugely precious baby girl.”
The neonatal team kept her alive. Derrina stayed in the hospital. The baby stayed longer. Five or six weeks before they could bring her home.
In 2024, they had a son. Simon Thomas’s children now numbered three. Ethan, now 16. A daughter, three. A son, one.
The Guilt She Lives With
In April 2022, she appeared on Kate Ferdinand’s Blended podcast. Talked about guilt. About anniversaries of Gemma’s death. About feeling emotional when Simon and Ethan weren’t.
“You just feel this real guilt, and I definitely feel that, especially the last two (anniversaries), I have been probably more emotional than you two.”
She worries about living in Gemma’s shadow. Whether she’s good enough. Whether Ethan truly accepts her.
Simon’s response? “All of these fears & worries are real, but none of them are really true. All of us are unique & all of us irreplaceable. Derrina is unique. There’s nothing second about her. She’s not in a shadow & she’s way beyond & above being good enough.”
That’s the reality of being the second wife. You’re not replacing anyone. Just being yourself. Hoping that’s enough.
The Reality
Church minister’s daughter turned solicitor turned stepmum turned mum. That’s Derrina Jebb. She met a man at church. Fell in love. Took on a grieving widower and his traumatised son. Became a stepmother at 28 and got married at 30. Had a terrifying premature birth at 31 and had another baby at 33.
She’s weathered trolls, public scrutiny, and the looming spectres of an adored young woman who died far too soon.
And she’s done it all while building a legal career, raising three kids, and somehow making a broken family feel whole again.
Simon’s written books about grief. Done interviews about loss. Raised awareness about leukaemia. But she’s quietly done the work of holding a family together.
Not famous. Just faithful. That’s probably the best way to be.
