Who was Sir Ferguson's wife Cathy and how many children did they have together?

Lady Cathy Ferguson, wife of Sir Alex Ferguson, has died aged 84, the family has announced today.

Cathy was described by her husband as his 'bedrock', having helped nurse him back to health after his stroke following his retirement as Manchester United manager in 2013.

But who exactly was Cathy Ferguson? How many children did she have with Sir Alex and how long were they together?

Read on below for everything you need to know about Cathy Ferguson.

Who is Cathy Ferguson?

Born Cathy Harding, she met Alex Ferguson while they were both working at a typewriter factory in Hillington, Glasgow, in 1964.

Revealing how she felt when she first met him, Cathy said: 'I just saw him walking through and I thought he was a thug.

'Then I found out he was a footballer and that didn't make him any different to me'.

How long have Sir Alex and Cathy Ferguson been together?

Lady Cathy had been married to Sir Alex since 1966, when Glasgow was harshly divided by sectarianism - Lady Cathy was a Catholic while Sir Alex was Protestant - but the then-footballer was following the example of his father, who himself had 'broken a taboo' by marrying a Catholic woman.

When he announced his retirement as United manager in 2013 after an unprecedented period of success for the Red Devils, Sir Alex said: 'My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement.

'Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.'

In the 2021 documentary titled Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In - which was directed by their son Jason - Cathy revealed Sir Alex had taken her to the cinema on their first date.

She said: 'He bought me a box of liquorice allsorts at the movies, of which he ate all of them, and a local paper when we came out. That was my romantic day.

'We got married in Glasgow registry office in 1966 and that was the start. I went to my work and he went to his football.'

How many children do they have together?

During their marriage, which spanned more than 50 years, the pair had three sons: Mark and twins Darren and Jason.

Darren is arguably the most famous of Fergie's sons after he followed his father's career path.

He formerly played for Manchester United, Wolves and Peterborough United and is currently in his third spell as manager of the latter.

His other managerial stints have included spells at Preston North End and Doncaster Rovers.

Darren's twin brother Jason operates an events management company and directed the aforementioned documentary on Sir Alex Ferguson, which followed his life, career and recovery from a brain hemorrhage that he suffered in 2018.

Cathy and Sir Alex's eldest son Mark, 50, is an investment banker.

A statement by the Ferguson family following Cathy's death read: 'We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing yesterday of Lady Cathy Ferguson, survived by her husband, three sons, two sisters, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild'.