Brit Olympian’s daughter’s ‘terrifying’ nights in Dubai below missiles | Other | Sport
The teenage daughter of Olympic champion Andy Turner, who embarked on her first solo international trip to Dubai, has found herself stranded in a city under siege. Carmen Gaynor-Turner has recounted ‘terrifying’ nights spent taking shelter in her AirBnB flat as Iranian drones and missiles were intercepted overhead.
The 19-year-old set off for the UAE last Thursday for a five-night stay after securing a job offer as an estate agent there. However, within 24 hours her dream holiday turned into a nightmare after Donald Trump initiated a full-scale attack on Iran, sparking retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. Carmen, from Bramhall, Stockport, said: “I came out here to see if it was somewhere I could see myself living and if I would be OK on my own. Now I’m just desperate to get home.”
The former Hazel Grove High School student recounted how the tower block containing her AirBnB at Dubai Marina trembled as missiles and drones were intercepted during the initial wave of strikes on Saturday. She said: “I could hears bangs all day, but I thought it was building works.
“Then I read that they were missiles, but I couldn’t see them initially. Then on Saturday they were shaking my apartment. The windows were shaking. You could the missiles that were being shot down. The missile alerts were going off all night. You got about two hours sleep at a time. This morning when an alert went off you could see all the children running inside. It’s terrifying for them.”
Carmen was due to fly home on Tuesday, but her flight, alongside thousands of others, was cancelled, reports the Manchester Evening News. She’s now booked onto an Emirates flight to Manchester in the early hours of Sunday and is desperately hoping it takes off as scheduled.
Following a week in the AirBnB, yesterday (Thursday) she moved to stay with a family friend who has a property in Damac Hills, approximately 20 minutes inland. This means she’s now situated further from where the majority of the strikes are being directed.
Nevertheless, she says she’s still spending most of her time indoors and is scared to stray too far from the property in case another missile attack is launched. She said: “Online you can see people saying everyone carrying on as normal. Certain areas are, people are just strolling around, but then when the missiles start it’s just dead. There’s no cars on the roads and most people are staying inside.
“It’s really difficult. I am away from all my family. It’s my first trip away by myself. It’s affected me massively, but I don’t want to panic anyone further. I know I’m safe, but at the same time it is terrifying.”
Carmen’s father Andy is the former European and Commonwealth 110m hurdles champion. He represented Great Britain at three Olympic Games and is a former World Championship bronze medallist.
After retiring from athletics in 2014, the 45 year old moved into bodybuilding and now works as a personal trainer at an upmarket Altrincham gym.
Speaking from the family’s Stockport home on Friday morning, Carmen’s mother Natalie Gaynor-Turner, 46, disclosed the family were preparing contingency arrangements should Sunday’s flight be cancelled, including the potential for Andy to travel to the Middle East.
She said: “It’s just your worst nightmare. I am a wreck. I’m not sleeping. We’re trying to keep busy and keep working, but it’s just so stressful. She’s very independent but I don’t think anyone would be able deal to deal with this on their own. She shouldn’t have to go through it.”
