Kate Ferdinand has returned to Dubai after she and her family fled the UAE last month amid Iranian missile strikes. The former TOWIE star was back in the city on Thursday to celebrate her stepdaughter Tia's 15th birthday with a brunch.
The family previously sheltered in their basement because of what Kate described as "scary" drone attacks before travelling to their holiday home in Portugal, then London and the Maldives. Her husband Rio spoke about the ordeal: "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."
Sharing a picture of Tia on Instagram, Kate wrote: "It's the biggest privilege to be your step mum and I love you more than words can describe. My special special girl. Me and you forever." The teenager was seen holding a large bouquet of flowers and pink and white balloons, with the Burj Al Arab in the background.
Kate married former footballer Rio in 2019. She is stepmother to Tia, 15, Lorenz, 19, and Tate, 17, and shares Shae, two, and Cree, five, with Rio. Tia's mother, Rebecca Ellison, died in 2015 following a breast cancer diagnosis. Lorenz and Tate remain in the UK, while Kate, Rio, Tia and the younger children live in Dubai.
The couple announced their move to Dubai in August, with Kate describing it as "a new chapter, a fresh start". She later admitted she missed the UK: "I miss home quite a lot. I get upset. I miss the big boys a lot and I'm just struggling with that. I know this decision is right for my younger children and as a family we are settled there, but the boys are following their football careers."
Kate has previously spoken about the challenges of step-parenthood on her Blended podcast, saying she and Tia "butt heads" at times. "It's hard when you've got young kids because they take up a lot of your time, so you've got to make sure you've got that time [for the older ones]. Like me and Tia, she won't mind me saying, but we have these moments where we just butt heads for three or four days and we both don't know what's going on."
