BRAVE Rio Ferdinand nabbed an intruder in his back garden and held him until cops arrived.

The ex-England ace, 44, saw the man at his South East London home while pregnant wife Kate, 31, and their kids were inside.

5Rio Ferdinand, pictured with pregnant wife Kate, nabbed an intruder at his homeCredit: Getty

5Rio has three children with late first wife Rebecca, one boy with ex-Towie star Kate, and a little girl on the wayCredit: Instagram

5Rio’s heavily-pregnant wife Kate was inside the house with the childrenCredit: Social media – Refer to source

A source said: “This was a frightening incident.”

Ferdinand bravely tackled the prowler to protect his pregnant wife, kids and property.

CCTV footage from cameras at his £4million home revealed the suspect tried to open the rear patio doors to get inside the  previous evening.

The man then spent the night in the garden and was confronted by Rio the next morning.

The ex-England and Manchester United star detained the prowler until the arrival of security guards on the private estate in Bromley, South East London.

Police were then called.

Rio was horrified to find the man outside his home on Friday.

A source said last night: “This was a frightening incident which has left Rio and Kate pretty shaken up.

“It’s worrying that someone got into the grounds but Rio dealt with it  — and they both know it could have been a lot worse. But it caused a lot of concern.”

Another source said: “Rio was alarmed to see an intruder   and  was naturally concerned for the safety of his family.

“He acted promptly and decisively and went outside to deal with any potential threat.

“Rio alerted the estate’s security team and then went outside to confront the intruder and demand what he was doing there.

“He kept him there until a security guard arrived soon afterwards and the  man was led outside and detained until the police got there.”

Rio’s heavily-pregnant wife, former Towie star Kate was inside the house with her son Cree, two, and stepchildren Lorenz, 16, Tate, 14, and Tia, 12, from Rio’s first marriage.

Police took the intruder to ­hospital after he complained of feeling unwell.

Despite the apparent attempt to get inside the Ferdinands’ home, the man was not arrested.

Ex-Met Police detective chief inspector Mick Neville said: “It’s good to see a TV celebrity and famous footballer taking action to defend his home and family.

5Rio spotted the prowler in his garden in Kent while pregnant wife Kate and their kids were indoorsCredit: Instagram

5A source said: ‘This was a frightening incident’

“There have been some horrendous stories  about the homes of footballers being broken into.

“Rio couldn’t be sure what he was dealing with when he went outside to deal with the suspect.

“He should be commended for dealing with it courageously.”

The intruder turned out to be a  homeless man who is suspected to have got on to the estate — patrolled by guards — via a public bridleway.

The matter was later dealt with by a community resolution with Rio and Kate’s consent.

The Met said: “Police were called to a 70-year-old man detained by a private security guard having been found in the garden of a residential property.

“He was dealt with by a community resolution for ‘Being on Enclosed Premises for an Unlawful Purpose’, an offence under the Vagrancy Act.”

Kate made no mention of the drama when she posted stylish photos of herself and growing baby bump on Instagram later on Friday.

She wrote: “A very busy but exciting week. Now get me home on the sofa in my pjs to my babies & hubby.”

That night Kate made a surprise appearance on Mo Gilligan’s The Lateish Show, where Rio was a guest.

On the Channel 4 programme, Rio — whose first wife Rebecca Ellison died of breast cancer aged 34 — spoke of the night he first met Kate in Dubai.

He relayed a story of how he awkwardly tripped over as he escorted her to the loo.

It led to her nicknaming him The Peckham Crawler.