Rebecca, 34, passed away earlier this month just weekend after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
It was recently claimed that Rio, 36, thought his wife had another five years, and he’s admitted that at times he’s struggled to cope.
Speaking to The Sun, he said: “It’s been the most difficult period of my life. What with managing the emotions of our three children and watching such a great woman as my wife die without being able to do anything about it.”
But footballer Rio revealed that their children – Lorenz, nine, Tate, six, and four-year-old Tia – have found comfort in the messages of support that have flooded in.
He continued: “The day it was announced that Rebecca had died, we were overwhelmed by messages support…
"The kids saw it all and were telling me, ‘Look Dad, have you seen what they are doing for Mum?’ Those are good memories for them.
“It was refreshing to see such compassion in the fame, with tribalism removed.”
A funeral service was held for Rebecca a week after her death, attended by some of the most famous faces in football – including Wayne and Coleen Rooney, and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Rio added: “Rebecca was an organisation freak and planned much of it herself while the kids picked the music. She wanted it to be a celebration of her life rather than a morbid occasion and it went just the way she would have liked.”
Taking to Twitter at the weekend, Rio thanked everyone who has sent condolences. He wrote: “The messages that I have received directly, through friends & family or through social media has been unbelievable.”