Rebekah Vardy has revealed the difficulties her family faced when uprooting their lives in the UK to move to Italy, following husband Jamie's transfer to US Cremonese. The WAG detailed the stressful relocation to Lake Garda, which involved packing up their entire Leicester home, including a grand piano.
Burglary and Insecurity
However, the move did not go as smoothly as hoped. Within months of arriving, their lavish Italian apartment was burgled, leaving Rebekah 'on edge 24/7'. 'When something like this happens it makes you question everything,' she said during their new three-part ITV series The Vardys, as reported by The Mirror. She later lamented, 'They've taken my f***ing watch.'
Struggles with Daily Life
The family managed to stay in Italy until the end of the season, but Rebekah admitted it was a challenge to find British home comforts for her children: Olivia (six), Finley (nine), Sofia (12), and Taylor (16). 'I have been tasked by my little monsters to go and find some English home comforts. I think the Italian teacher thought I was mad. The kids have asked me to find baked beans. It's really hard to find,' she said.
Family Unity Over Everything
Despite visa and housing struggles, Rebekah insisted the entire family had to move together. 'Some people would say it's really drastic uprooting and moving all the kids when they're so settled, and it's only a two-hour flight away, but the reality is we're a family unit. You either keep the family together or you both live very different lives. Splitting up the family just was not an option for us,' she explained.
The family flew over in a private jet, but eldest child Taylor stayed behind with Rebekah's father Carlos, who is close to the children. Daughter Sofia was worried about missing her friends, so her parents gave her a phone for her 12th birthday. 'If we had been back in England, not in a million years would Sofia have ever had a phone,' said Rebekah. 'I would say don't give them a phone till they're at least 30! The main reason we gave her a phone was so she didn't feel as isolated out here, so she still felt connected to all of her friends, granddad, and Meg's back in the UK.'
Adjusting to School
After moving, Olivia asked to stay home from school because children her age did not speak English, making it hard for her to communicate and make friends. Jamie acknowledged the struggle of moving the whole family but emphasized his need for 'normality' and his children to keep him 'grounded'. He told ITV: 'They're the ones that keep you really grounded. It is massive for me, having the family around. You need that normality.'
Future Plans
Despite the move to Italy for Jamie's transfer to US Cremonese, he has this week requested to leave the team when his contract expires this summer. The Vardys airs at 9pm on Tuesday June 2nd on ITV1 and ITVX, with all three episodes available to stream as a boxset online.
