Simon Thomas: TV presenter proud of 'true hero' son, who walks out a Wembley mascot

TV presenter Simon Thomas has spoken of his pride and gratitude to the Football Association after his son walked out with England as a mascot at Wembley.

In November, Sky Sports host Thomas' wife Gemma died just three days after being diagnosed with leukaemia.

After Tuesday's match, a 1-1 friendly draw with Italy, Thomas said of son Ethan: "The pride I have for him was overflowing.

"His mum too would have been bursting with pride."

In a blog post, he thanked both England and the FA for "making it a night my boy will never ever forget".

He also posted a picture of the Sir Bobby Moore statue outside Wembley on Twitter and wrote: "One of England's true heroes and tonight my boy gets a once in a lifetime chance to be an England mascot. He's my true hero."

Thomas said his son Ethan (far right with Eric Dier) "got to experience something that many kids can only dream of"