Man Utd icon Rio Ferdinand and wife Kate 'flee Dubai' after Iran missile strikes
Rio Ferdinand and his wife, Kate, are believed to have fled Dubai and relocated to the Algarve amid Iranian missile strikes in the Middle East
Rio and Kate Ferdinand are believed to have fled Dubai amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The pair are now reportedly residing at their luxury villa on the Algarve near Quinta do Lago, Portugal.
They made for the holiday residence after Dubai came under attack from Iran's suicide drones and missiles. Tensions persist there as Donald Trump's administration is weighing up deploying an Army paratrooper division to the Middle East. On Saturday, Rio, 47, shared a photograph of himself bare-chested on his socials, enjoying a bottle of Portuguese Super Bock beer on a sun-drenched terrace, writing: "That feeling when Liverpool + Chelsea drop points in the race for the top 4."
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It was a reference to the clubs' defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion, and Everton respectively. However, the selfie was captured at the villa the star owns on the Algarve, where he and 34-year-old Kate spent last summer on holiday with their children; son Cree, five, and two-year-old daughter Shae, and Rio's daughter Tia, 13, from his first marriage to late wife Rebecca.
Rio - who stepped down as a pundit for TNT last year - has two older sons, Lorenz, 19 and Tate, 17, who stayed in the UK. Shortly after they relocated, Kate expressed how she was longing for the UK.
The former TOWIE star said: "I am enjoying it, but 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.
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"So, they're doing what they want to do otherwise they'd be with us. But it's very hard because we've been through so much as a family and we've always been together and that's a huge adjustment."
However, the mum, a fitness enthusiast, recently revealed that she'd had a "mindset" shift and enthused about how her children are "learning things they wouldn't in the UK." This includes Cree learning Arabic.
Recently, Rio spoke of how he and the family had sought refuge in a bomb shelter in the initial days as missiles and drones descended on Dubai from nearby Iran. Speaking on his podcast, the former Manchester United defender said: 'It's frightening when you hear missiles, planes and fighter jets and you're hearing bombs.
"It's telling your kids what it is and helping them navigate through this moment, which is important especially as the dad of the house. You want to try and remain calm."