Luisa Zissman's Dubai 'Refugee Era' Remarks Ignite Fury
British influencer Luisa Zissman has provoked widespread outrage with her recent social media commentary on Dubai, where she mockingly referred to being in her "refugee era" after returning to the UK. This comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with many international influencers, including prominent British figures, publicly lauding Dubai as the "safest place on earth."
Dubai's Strict Social Media Controls Revealed
As questions mount about the authenticity of these safety claims, investigations reveal that Dubai's authoritarian regime employs severe measures against those deemed harmful to the UAE's reputation. The Daily Mail has uncovered that individuals risk imprisonment or deportation for content judged damaging. Additionally, a renewable 10-year "Golden Visa" is reportedly offered to influencers and their families, contingent upon promoting Dubai's luxury lifestyle and safety narrative.
Zissman's latest remarks leave observers questioning her motives: whether she is aligning with Dubai's regime, displaying tone-deafness, or engaging in "rage-baiting"—a tactic where influencers post deliberately controversial content to drive engagement through angry reactions.
A History of Controversial Statements
With 712,000 Instagram followers, 142,000 TikTok fans, and 430,000 Twitter followers, Zissman has a well-documented habit of stirring controversy. Since rising to fame as the runner-up on The Apprentice in 2013, she has frequently made headlines for scandalous comments.
Breastfeeding Backlash: Last year, Zissman faced fierce criticism after comparing breastfeeding mothers to "grass-munching cows" in a TikTok video titled "Another day, another rant." She defended bottle-feeding, claiming breastfeeding offers only "smidgens of a per cent" in benefits and stating, "Your kid isn't going to die if they're bottle-fed." This directly contradicts NHS guidance, which highlights breastfeeding's long-term benefits, including reduced infection risks, lower SIDS incidence, and decreased chances of cardiovascular disease and obesity.
Parenting Methods: Zissman also shocked followers by revealing she smashed her children's iPads in front of them, claiming the devices made them "devils." She posted images of the broken screens on Instagram, writing, "No more tech for us, it destroys their brains, creates little monsters and makes them devils." When questioned why she didn't simply confiscate the devices, she responded, "I wanted them to see them being destroyed and knowing getting them back was not an option!"
Body Shaming and NHS Criticism: In other incidents, Zissman attacked "skinny shamers" by saying, "Imagine I went round calling of you biscuit eating McDonald's loving lazy people fatties," and insisted her physique results from "energetic, health and mostly clean living." In 2022, she launched an extraordinary rant against NHS workers striking over pay, branding them "irresponsible," "cruel," and "jumped up t****." She argued that staff should never have entered the profession if concerned about salaries, though she later conceded they deserve pay rises if workloads increase.
Early Controversies: Zissman's scandalous comments date back to 2014, when she mocked TOWIE star Lauren Goodger after a sex tape scandal, suggesting Goodger leaked the footage herself and tweeting, "I had a sex tape it would be worth talking about not a measly 6 secs long!"
Recent Dubai Commentary and Return to the UK
In recent weeks, Zissman has been vocal about Dubai's safety amid US-Iran tensions, declaring it the "safest country in the world" despite missile strikes and drone attacks. She relocated to the UAE in December with her husband, multimillionaire Irish businessman Andrew Collins, and two of her three children.
However, Zissman returned to the UK on Monday, explaining she always planned to come back for podcast recordings but brought her daughters due to fears of being unable to return to Dubai. On Instagram, she shared a meme mocking tourists who "talk in interviews like they just came back from the frontlines," and described herself as in "my refugee era, displaced from my home." She also expressed paranoia about London crime, stating, "I'm really paranoid someone is going to steal my phone," while praising her "very, very easy" journey home via Oman.
As Zissman settles back in the UK, her remarks continue to fuel debate over influencer accountability, geopolitical narratives, and the ethics of social media engagement strategies.
