The teenage daughter of Olympic champion Andy Turner has described 'terrifying' nights in Dubai as Iranian drones and missiles were intercepted overhead. Carmen Gaynor-Turner, 19, from Bramhall, Stockport, travelled to the UAE last Thursday for a five-night stay after securing a job offer as an estate agent. However, her trip turned into a nightmare after US strikes on Iran sparked retaliatory attacks across the Middle East.
Carmen recounted how her AirBnB in Dubai Marina shook as missiles were intercepted during the initial wave of strikes on Saturday. 'The windows were shaking. You could see the missiles that were being shot down. The missile alerts were going off all night,' she said. 'This morning when an alert went off you could see all the children running inside. It's terrifying for them.'
She was due to fly home on Tuesday, but her flight was cancelled. She has now booked an Emirates flight to Manchester for Sunday and is desperate for it to depart. After a week in the AirBnB, she moved to stay with a family friend in Damac Hills, about 20 minutes inland, further from the main strikes. However, she remains mostly indoors, scared to stray far.
Her mother, Natalie Gaynor-Turner, 46, said the family is preparing contingency plans, including the possibility of Andy travelling to the Middle East if Sunday's flight is cancelled. 'It's just your worst nightmare. I am a wreck,' she said. 'She's very independent but I don't think anyone would be able to deal with this on their own.'
Andy Turner, 45, is a former European and Commonwealth 110m hurdles champion who represented Great Britain at three Olympic Games. After retiring from athletics in 2014, he became a personal trainer in Altrincham.
