Love Island star Arabella Chi has spoken out about the escalating tensions in the Middle East, revealing she feels safe in Dubai despite recent strikes. The 34-year-old, who moved to the city with her partner Billy Henty and their 10-month-old daughter Gigi six months ago, was caught up in the chaos over the weekend when Israel launched joint strikes on Iran and the US. Explosions were reported in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with missiles also targeting a US naval base in Qatar and other regional locations.
Chi, who rose to fame on the fifth series of ITV2's Love Island in 2019, said her brother and sister-in-law are currently staying with them after a holiday and are unable to return to the UK. Despite the situation, she has no immediate plans to evacuate. 'Despite being scared, I do feel safe, so as it stands, we have no bags packed and we are not planning on leaving,' she told Good Morning Britain. 'Obviously, if things got worse, then I might re-look at that situation.'
The reality star explained that she and her partner have cleared out a storage cupboard as a refuge in case of further attacks. 'We are in a house that has a lot of windows... in our storage cupboard there isn't any windows so if we did hear a bang that's where we would go,' she said. Chi praised the UAE government's handling of the crisis, describing it as 'amazing' and noting that interceptions have been effective. She recalled the moment on Saturday when she heard a bang while on The Palm, calling it 'the most scared I've ever been in my life.'
