Influencer declares England ‘too scary’ as she ditches UK for nation 3,400 miles away

Exclusive: Jodie Weston, 30, is raising her son Koa, two, in the UK but is now planning to up sticks and move to Dubai because she is so scared about knife crime in England

An influencer is waving goodbye to the UK for a new life 3,400 miles away in Dubai, citing the country has become “too scary” for raising her youngster.

Jodie Weston, 30, found fame after appearing on Channel 5’s Rich Holiday Poor Holiday. The DJ hasn’t been shy about dropping £30k on lavish getaways with her tot either.

Yet, the celeb mum is now planning a stunner of a move to make Dubai her new forever home to bring up little Koa, who’s two. Jodie is in the midst of sorting out her work visa and scoping out swanky apartments.

One major reason behind the glam mum’s relocation leap? Her spiralling fears of UK crime rates, reports the Mirror.

Sharing her anxieties with us, she said: “Knife crime is not an issue out there which is something which worries me about having a boy. There are low crime rates there in general.”

When probed if she had the jitters over knife violence, she confessed: “I am very worried. It’s all I see everywhere on TV and in the news and it just scares me for the future. Obviously my son is only two but it’s an issue even with primary school aged kids and it has got so out of hand in London.”

She added with concern: “I was watching a documentary the other day and a lot of the time it’s over just trivial matters like someone taking a snack that another person wants or even mistaken identity. And I just think more needs to be done but I don’t know when that is going to happen or how.”

The Big Smoke’s been rocked by a spate of knife crime nightmares this year, with the tragic tale of 15-year-old Keylan Bokassa, who was fatally stabbed on a London bus. The Ben Kinsella Trust has clocked an alarming 80% surge in knife-related crimes over the last ten years across England.

Yet, it’s not just the grim crime stats pushing Jodie to dream of a life overseas.

She’s had her fill of eye-watering rent and the dreary British drizzle, lamenting: “I think this winter has been more cold and wet than ever. It just feels never ending. I can’t even take my son to the park most days as it keeps raining.”

Dubai, on the other hand, boasts year-round sunshine, with scorching highs of 44C in August and cosy lows of 14C come January.

When quizzed about perks for her nipper in Dubai, she raved about the bounty of activities from splashing around in apartment complex pools to soft play havens, outdoor playgrounds, kite flying, and mini towns perfect for zooming about in toy cars, not to mention the sandy beaches.

Jodie, who’s been eyeing up international schools with fees ranging from £3,000 to a whopping £15,000 annually, shared: “There’s also theme parks with kids rides, water parks with slides, sensory centres that are much bigger than the ones we have here; everything just seems a bit grander out there.”

She’s buzzing about the prospect of raising her sprog Koa in Dubai, a place she’s no stranger to, saying: “Obviously it’s great to be around different cultures and in a cosmopolitan city like Dubai I think you’d get a great range of life experience and opportunities that you maybe wouldn’t if you stayed in the UK.”

But Jodie’s not wearing rose-tinted glasses she knows it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, admitting: “Obviously being in an unfamiliar place with some strict laws and family not near me.”

Her list of cons includes missing her kin, feeling like a fish out of water at first, lacking Blighty’s rich history, and navigating some pretty stringent dress and behaviour codes though she notes they’ve relaxed a tad lately.

The UAE is notorious for its hardcore rules. Brit lad Marcus Fakana, just 18, got banged up for a year for getting cosy with a 17-year-old considered underage there.

In the UAE, same-sex love is a no-go, and even straight couples need to keep their smooches under wraps or risk ending up behind bars, as per UK Government travel advice.

And if you’re packing your Harry Potter books for a read on the beach, think again anything with a whiff of magic or witchcraft might get snagged at customs.

When it comes to dropping adult language, the UK Government has made it crystal clear: “It is illegal to swear and make rude gestures, including online, as they are considered obscene acts. You could be jailed or deported.”

Boozing or being tipsy in public spaces is a big no-no too.

And don’t even think about getting sassy on social media, the UK Government warns: “It is illegal to post material, including videos and photographs, online that is critical of the government, companies or individuals, or which relates to incidents in the UAE.”