Rio Ferdinand ‘hearing missiles and bombs’ as update given from Dubai | Football | Sport
Rio Ferdinand has opened up about living through a Dubai lockdown amid a wave of missile attacks near his home.
The former Manchester United defender, aged 47, moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last August with his wife Kate, 34, and their children Shae, five, Cree, two, along with Rio’s daughter Tia, 14.
He’s among a number of celebrities who have chosen to establish themselves in the Middle East, with former boxer Amir Khan and Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan also having settled in Dubai.
However, over recent days, Dubai has faced assaults from Iran, leaving Ferdinand stranded and “frightened” regarding the wellbeing of his wife and three youngsters.
“Been a different week for me, not going to lie,” Ferdinand revealed on the most recent episode of Rio Ferdinand Presents. “Firstly, I’m in great condition this morning as the whole family did a workout. A bit like in Covid, the whole family is doing things we wouldn’t usually be doing together.
“Home-schooling a bit today. It’s frightening when you hear missiles, planes and fighter jets – I don’t know what it is – going above us, and you’re hearing big bombs, and what that is we don’t know as we don’t know the details of what they are.
“It’s telling your kids what it is and helping them navigate through this moment, which is important especially as the dad of the house. You want to try and remain calm and keep everybody as calm as possible.
“I’ve got to be honest guys, it’s been a bit of a scary situation but at the same time weirdly enough I’ve felt very secure and looked after. My studio has become my bunker.
“We were advised to go into the basement on the first night of all the noise started and we were down here sleeping with duvets and stuff. We are utilising the space wisely.”
Former TOWIE star and TV personality Kate, meanwhile, provided an update on the family’s current situation and reassured fans they were safe following a “very scary night”.
She wrote: “Thank you for all of your messages and sorry for the silence, I haven’t wanted to worry you all I just haven’t been able to find the words. We are safe.
“The government are doing an amazing job of keeping it that way and despite my nerves I feel we are in very safe hands. We are hoping for a calmer evening tonight, last night was very scary. Although Cree and Shae loved it as they couldn’t believe we all got a sleepover in the basement.
“Thank you for all of your prayers, this whole experience is very eye-opening and I am praying for anyone affected. Lots of love to everyone.”
Rio’s two elder children, Lorenz, 19, and Tate, 17, had not made the move to Dubai alongside the rest of the family, remaining in the United Kingdom to pursue their budding football careers.
