Pregnant Widow of Late Man Utd Starlet Proudly Leads Heartfelt Charity Walk One Year After His Untimely Passing

ONE year after Joe Thompson’s death, his pregnant widow organised a charity walk in his memory, carrying the son he dreamt of.

SunSport joined 250 people – including travellers from all over the world – on an inspiring 15-mile trek from Rochdale FC to in honour of Joe.

Joe Thompson’s widow Chantelle (left) played a major role in organising the latest Legacy Walk in his honour Credit: The Sun Chantelle and Joe married in 2016 and had two daughters, with a baby on the way Credit: Instagram

Joe died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 36 in April last year after his third cancer diagnosis in a decade, having twice recovered during a playing career that started at s academy.

Months before his death, he led hundreds on a 21-mile walk from Gary Neville’s Hotel Football to Dale’s Crown Oil Arena ground to raise awareness of cancer treatments.

This year’s route was symbolically set at 15 miles to honour Joe’s Rochdale jersey—a number the club officially retired after the midfielder’s passing.

On Saturday his wife Chantelle and daughter Lula, 13, led a march with friends and family to raise funds for the Joe Thompson Foundation.

with Joe’s baby, conceived on her first IVF attempt using a frozen embryo since his passing.

The pregnancy follows a devastating fertility journey that saw the full-term loss of their son, Dre, in 2020, before the “miracle” natural conception of their daughter, Athena, in 2024.

Chantelle said: “He would have been so proud of this. I can just see his face now, smiling from ear to ear. The baby just means absolutely everything.

“I know it’s never going to replace Joe obviously. Joe is Joe. But to be able to bring his baby into the world again is beautiful.”

An emotional Chantelle ‘thanked’ everyone with Aaron Burns (left) before heading off on the walk Credit: The Sun Joe Thompson charity walk Credit: The Sun

Her husband even gave Chantelle the name for the baby boy he predicted, but she is keeping it private.

She added: “He actually had a vision of us sitting outside with a baby boy. This was maybe six months before he passed, and he assumed that it was all of us.

“And then maybe two weeks before he passed, we were just sitting in the garden and he just had a realisation and was like, ‘I think I was watching you with the baby and the girls in the garden, not me physically here with you.

“It’s crazy because if Athena was not conceived naturally, I probably wouldn’t have had the embryo now.”

Joe trained at United’s academy from the age of nine and played professionally for Tranmere Rovers, Rochdale, Carlisle, Southport and Bury.

At the age of 23, he was diagnosed with blood cancer and returned to playing following six months of treatment.

The cancer returned three years later and in March 2024 he was diagnosed for the third time, with the disease spreading to his lungs.

Joe’s close friend Aaron Burns played a key role in organising the walk, with his phone number on the maps handed out in case anybody got lost.

Burns, who is the lead trustee for United’s former player union (AFMUP) said: “Football introduced us, but friendship kept us together.

“We met at Carrington, I was 11, he was 10. And he was just a young boy that loved football, but radiated energy.

“United is more than a football club. It’s a community, it’s a feeling, it’s a spirit and the spirit of Man United is here today. We stayed close until the end.”

Players of Manchester United take part in a minutes applause for Joe last April Credit: Getty Aaron Burns and Fraizer Campbell were close friends with Joe

Burns and I caught up with former United player on the first leg between Rochdale and Bury.

Ever the team player, Campbell handed out sweets “for energy” just after rescuing a group of walkers who were about to take a wrong turn.

Walking past the newsagent’s Joe grew up next to, Campbell said: “It’s incredible to carry on his legacy, to see people who never met him during his life be here today is out of this world.

“I also met him at Carrington and our families remained close. We all miss him so much.”

United released Joe in 2005 when he was 16, before he made his senior debut with Rochdale at 17.

Aarons joined Cardiff later, and Campbell went on to make four first-team appearances before a successful career across the Premier League and .

Joe, who was born in Bath, moved to Rochdale as a boy to live with his aunt and shone in sports at St Vincent’s primary school, before catching the eye of United.

Yet his impact on Greater Manchester went far beyond football—Joe dedicated himself to uplifting the community and improving the lives of those around him.

Scott Thomas with Joe’s brother Ruben outside his mural at Rochdale Credit: The Sun

Former star and friend Scott Thomas joined the walk for a second successive year.

Thomas, who first met Joe on the Manchester party scene, said: “He had a massive impact on my life.

“He always pushed me out of my comfort zone. I wanted to be here today to make sure I’m keeping his energy alive because he was such a huge inspiration.

“No matter how ill he was, he devoted so much energy into helping people. He is someone I could never forget.”

Joe also predicted a major life event for Thomas – meeting his girlfriend Lauren.

Thomas explained: “He pushed me to go on Dr Jodie Spencer’s retreat in Nashville and said ‘you’ll meet your future wifey there’.

“And it’s crazy because I’m actually here today with my new girlfriend who I met from going to that retreat!”

Joe also checked in with Thomas before and after his second stint on Love Island in January 2025 to make sure “he was doing it for the right reasons”.

Among his career highlights, Joe’s dramatic winner saved Rochdale from relegation from against on 5 May 2018, a year after his second cancer diagnosis.

Joe Thompson scored his ‘goal of significance’ to save Rochdale from relegation in 2018 Credit: Rex Features

His sport psychologist Robert Martin-Hall met Joe before his first cancer diagnosis at age 23 in November 2013, when he was at Tranmere.

Martin-Hall said: “When I first met Joe I asked him about his career goals, and he said his

“A goal that would be shown on TV and be remembered for years to come.

“When he scored that goal for Rochdale, after all of the recovery, he text me saying: ‘Eight years’

“It gave him heroes status. It had been eight years since he set that goal and it was being shown on Sky Sports News and the BBC that evening.”

Joe hung up his boots in 2019 and transitioned into a career in media as a pundit, motivational speaker, and advocate.

Chantelle picked up Joe’s honorary doctorate in football psychology on his behalf at the Emirates Stadium last year.

Meanwhile, United player met walkers inside Hotel Football opposite after returning from a four-month injury to play in the women’s 1-1 draw against Brighton.

Toone’s partner Joe Bunney, who played with and against Joe in his career, was a vocal and leading presence on the walk.

He told SunSport: “When I came to Rochdale he was picking me up from the train station every day because I didn’t drive for like five years.

“But that Rochdale goal actually relegated me because I had moved to Northampton! So I used to remind him of that.”

In fact, an Instagram post by Toone promoting the walk reached United fan Caroline living in Malta, who flew over 1,200 miles to join in.