Kate Ferdinand has revealed her thoughts about staying in Dubai long term, after making the move to the United Arab Emirates in August.
The TOWIE star, 34, and her footballer husband Rio, 46, swapped their live in south-east London for the sun-soaked desert, eight years after meeting in the city.
The Daily Mail revealed the couple’s new home is in exclusive gated community of Al Barari, with the luxury property listed for 32.5million dirhams (£6,550,310) as of April this year.
And while Kate has gushed over their family’s new life abroad, she has admitted she’s not sure how long they’ll remain in Dubai, confessing: ‘I have no idea what the future holds.
Taking to her Instagram Stories on Thursday, she announced she’d be answering several questions from followers, after being ‘really really really busy’.
And in response to one fan who asked: ‘Do you see your family in Dubai long term?’, Kate got candid about her mixed feelings on the topic.
Kate Ferdinand has revealed her thoughts about staying in Dubai long term, after making the move to the United Arab Emirates in August (pictured with husband Rio)
The TOWIE star, 34, and her footballer husband Rio, 46, swapped their live in south-east London for the sun-soaked desert, eight years after meeting in the city
She replied: ‘I’m really not sure. We took the leap by moving here and thought we would try something new & I’m so glad we did as 3 months in the kids seems really happy & settled and it’s a beautiful life for them.
‘There’s lots of things i miss about England but there are also lots of things I’d miss about here if I wasn’t here. So in short, I have no idea what the future holds.’
She went onto answer a question regarding how much Arabic she’d picked up in the past three months, revealing the four phrases she’d learned so far.
Kate wrote: ‘Cree & Tia have been learning it in school & are teaching me. Rio & I have both said we would like lessons but life has been very busy recently.Â
‘At the moment I know: Hello, Thank you, let’s go, my love. That’s not the best but I feel like my brain is really struggling to retain information recently. Anyone else? Is it being a busy mum in your 30s thing?’
The Q&A comes just days after she revealed she was in ‘complete emotional spiral’, as she admitted she’d struggling with being away from her stepsons.
Kate shares son Cree, four, and two-year-old daughter Shae with Rio, and is also stepmother to his three teenage children Lorenz, 19, Tate, 17, and Tia, 14, from his previous marriage to Rebecca Ellison – who tragically died in 2015.
While their youngest three children are living in the UAE, eldest sons Lorenz and Tate have remained in England as they are on the books at Brighton & Hove Albion.
And while Kate has gushed over their family’s new life abroad, she has admitted she’s not sure how long they’ll remain in Dubai, confessing: ‘I have no idea what the future holds
She went onto answer a question regarding how much Arabic she’d picked up in the past three months, revealing the four phrases she’d learned so far
And after Tate flew over to surprise Kate and Rio earlier this week, she was left overcome with emotion.
On Monday, she shared a heartwarming video of the moment the teen arrived at their home in the UAE to her and Rio’s surprised delight.
In the caption, she admitted how much she missed her stepsons: ‘A memory I’ll cherish forever. I love surprising people — honestly, I think I’m pretty good at it lol!Â
‘So knowing that Tate went to all that effort to surprise us just feels so special. I’ve had the best two days, and now that he’s left I’m on a complete emotional spiral.
‘We’re having the most amazing time in Dubai. The kids are happy, thriving, and safe, and that truly feels like such a blessing.
‘But wow… I miss Lorenz and Tate so much. It’s hard to put it into words. Counting down the days until we’re reunited.’
Meanwhile, Rio recently took aim at the tax system in the United Kingdom as he explained a possible reason as to why more and more people are emigrating from those shores.
Their move came after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £40billion of tax rises on businesses and the very wealthy in her 2024 Budget.
After Tate flew over to surprise Kate and Rio this week, she was left overcome with emotion, and admitted she’d struggling with being away from her stepsons – who stayed in the UK
Meanwhile, Rio recently took aim at the tax system in the United Kingdom as he explained a possible reason as to why more and more people are emigrating from those shoresÂ
Speaking as a guest on LBC Radio, the Manchester United star discussed the tax sanctions on UK residents – claiming that the 1% didn’t benefit the general public.
The multimillionaire said: ‘If things like the health service, for example, was absolutely flying and working perfectly well then I think people wouldn’t mind paying tax.
‘But when there’s things that are falling apart and going wrong in the country, then I sit there and go, we pay towards tax and is it really going towards the things that are actually benefiting the people that live here?
‘And that’s the big question that needs answering. I think a lot of us know the answer to that.’
While Rio did not allude to that as the reason for he and his family’s move to the United Arab Emirates, he did say that the switch has allowed him to spend more time with his family.
‘My family are seeing me so much more and I’m spending some quality time with them and I think that’s just been a great thing for me,’ he continued.
‘I love England and I’m a patriotic guy in that sense, but a new journey, a new chapter, something different, I think is a refreshing new chapter in my life.’
Opening up on the decision to The National, Rio said: ‘There’s not one reason. I went for the Global Soccer Awards at Christmas and I hadn’t been there properly for about seven or eight years. I used to go there all the time before.
‘We spent time with a couple of Kate’s friends who lived there and I just saw a different side to it. I also have a business out there, Football Escapes.Â
‘In Dubai, it feels like they’re valued and the lifestyle means that they’re happy and vibrant with a good energy for the kids. Lifestyle, safety, weather and just a new life.’
