All the indicators Kate Ferdinand had been struggling along with her transfer to Dubai: Ex-TOWIE star admitted to lacking her household, stepsons and residential comforts earlier than crying over their relocation

Kate Ferdinand has admitted she has been struggling with her new life in Dubai and feels homesick for elements of what she has left behind in the UK.

The former TOWIE star, 34, tearfully admitted she is ‘missing her family’ back home as well as her stepsons, who are busy pursing their football careers.

While Kate insisted the UAE has been an ‘amazing place to live’, there have been telling signs that their new adventure isn’t all it was cracked up to be.

The influencer admitted she was finding it difficult being back after spending a cosy Christmas back in London, as well as missing home comforts.

While Kate has only been back home once during her stay so far, she was visited by an old friend a few months after relocating.

After her pal left, she admitted it was hard to say goodbye after spending quality time together during their stay.

Kate and her husband Rio, 47, moved their life to Dubai in August last year, along with their children, Shae, two, Cree, five, as well as Rio’s daughter Tia, 14.

His sons Lorenz, 19, and Tate, 17, did not come with them due to their budding football careers back home in the UK.

Among other things, Kate has found it difficult to be without the boys, and here we look at all of the subtle signs she gave before admitting it had been tough… 

Missing her stepsons 

Kate has suggested that being away from Lorenz and Tate has been one of the hardest parts of their move, after developing a strong bond with the boys.

During a recent Blended podcast, Kate opened up about the downsides of her family’s move, touching particularly on the distance from the children.

She said: ‘Rio loves it so much. 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.’

The couple were surprised by Tate in November who came to visit and Kate told her followers she was feeling ’emotionally vulnerable’ after he left.

She shared a sweet video of the moment Tate arrived at their home and Kate said again that while she loves their new live abroad, she struggles a lot with missing her stepsons Tate and his older brother Lorenz.

Alongside a clip of the moment Tate wrapped her into a hug before greeting his father Rio, Kate wrote: ‘A memory I’ll cherish forever.’

‘I love surprising people — honestly, I think I’m pretty good at it lol! So knowing that Tate went to all that effort to surprise us just feels so special. I’ve had the best two days, and now that he’s left I’m on a complete emotional spiral.

‘We’re having the most amazing time in Dubai. The kids are happy, thriving, and safe, and that truly feels like such a blessing. 

‘But wow… I miss Lorenz and Tate so much. It’s hard to put it into words. Counting down the days until we’re reunited.’

Familiarity

Kate also recently revealed she has been missing more mundane elements of the UK, including trips to Marks & Spencer.

She shared photos from a trip to one of nine stores in the country and revealed it gave her a comforting feeling of home being able to shop in M&S.

Kate wrote: ‘Let’s just say I was very excited to take a trip to M&S, picking up some family favourites & a giving us a little bit of familiarity in our new home.’

On her Blended podcast, Kate has spoken about missing aspects of life in the UK — like friends, family, the rain and cooler weather, and the cultural feel of England. 

Kate explicitly said she misses the rain and the ‘cold, cool air on your face’ – because the sunny, warm climate in Dubai is so different from what she grew up with.

She’s talked about missing the culture of England – the way life feels there, the everyday cultural backdrop that shaped her sense of ‘home.’

The couple and their children returned to the English capital over Christmas to see family before recently jetting back to their new life in Dubai.

Kate has said: ‘I think I miss people. I miss the rain. The cold, cool air on your face. I miss the culture of England. Certain types of people and all different types of people.’ 

Readjusting after visiting home 

After returning to their new home in January, Kate admitted she has been feeling ‘very emotional’ after having an overwhelming Christmas in London.

Opening up about her struggles, she said: ‘So I have a December hangover, not alcohol but an emotional December hangover and I’ve toyed with whether to talk to you guys about this but I don’t feel like I’m being myself.

‘I’m not feeling myself, I don’t want to do my usual activites and I feel highly emotional, I don’t have that kickstart January feeling like I normally do.

‘I mean I’ve been thinking about it and as parents in December we want to get everything right for our children, we’re busy and it’s like the overwhelm of December, sorting Christmas and working and doing everything.

‘And then we see family that we really miss and that feeling of missing them, sometimes we have to see family we don’t really like and fit back into roles we had as children which comes with an emotional hangover as well.

‘And then on January first we are expected to be a new woman, new me, ready to go and actually sometimes it does take a bit of time and it’s not realistic and I don’t feel like that and I’m one of those people up in the gym early and my body is telling me no’.

Kate said she is ‘feeling the pressure’ to workout but has decided to listen to her body which is ‘coming to a hault’ and reassured fans that ‘it is ok not to be ok’.

She continued: ‘I’ve been very emotional and I think it’s ok to not be ok.

‘I feel the pressure in the industry and today I was going to post my workout but the truth is I went to do the workout and I haven’t got the energy and my body is coming to a hault and I’m so fatigued and can’t get through it.

‘I want to be honest with you guys and I think a lot of people are going through it and I don’t think it’s very openly spoken about on socials so this is just a reminder that not everyone is good all the time and sometimes it’s when you least expect it.

‘For me January is a month of listening to my body, resting and not pushing myself to any extremees and doing things that make me happy and I’m not going to be here, there and everywhere, but I’m just going to say no to people.

‘It doesn’t have to be the reset month. Anyone like me I’m sending you lots of love and I hope you are ok.’

Over Christmas, Kate shared a series of photos and looked happier than ever as she posed with Rio and one of their children beside the Christmas tree.

In another, she and the child beamed for the camera, before sharing a sweet shot with her stepson Lorenz.

Her carousel of pictures also included a pilates session with Daniella Forbes, a night with the girls, and a sweet outing with her mum, Jacqueline.

‘The week before Christmas in London filled with family time and wrapping up work for 2025.’ she penned alongside the snaps.

Needing time to ‘calm her nervous system’ 

Kate said she is ‘adjusting to taking things slower’ after being praised by fans for her candid post about feeling ‘fatigued and pressured to do everything’.

Kate thanked fans for their supportive messages and many have of her 1.4million follower said they are feeling the same. 

Sharing a sweet photo walking in the sunshine with one of her young children, she wrote: ‘Thank you for all your messages! Turns out lots of us are in this together!

‘Life has a funny way of forcing us to slow down sometimes! I feel like I live my life in fast forward so taking things slower is taking some adjustment.’ 

Prior to this, Kate shared a vlog where she had a chilled pyjama day and treated her children to pizza and treats.

She showed off the huge house with its modern interiors, cosy lounge with a gigantic TV screen and elegant entrance way to the mansion.

Kate revealed that she was taking the time to ‘reset her nervous system’ after a chaotic few weeks. 

She penned in the caption of her post: ‘Real self-care is knowing when to: 1. stay home in your pyjamas 2. watch Netflix guilt-free 3. order the pizza 4. do the bare minimum 5. choose rest over optimisation.

‘Your nervous system doesn’t care how aesthetically pleasing your routine looks, it cares whether you’re actually giving it what it needs…’

The video featured snippets of her children enjoying their beautiful new home.

Missing friends

Kate and her close friend Lisa, who had previously been friends with Rio’s late wife Rebecca, lamented being apart after she flew out to see the Ferdinands.

Kate explained that she had known Lisa for eight or nine years and never dreamed that they would become as close as they have.

Sharing her thoughts on their time together, Kate said: ‘I’ve had the most amazing 11 days, one of my besties came to visit. We planned for her and her children to surprise our kids, it was so special there were lots of happy tears.’

Kate gave an insight into the holiday, with photos showing the couple and their children spending time together at the beach.

Sharing a picture of them together in the post, Kate wrote: ‘Miss you already’. 

The TV personality captioned her latest update: ‘Special times with our special people. Just missing our big boys.’

Kate recently confessed that while Dubai has been an ‘amazing’ place to live, she’s ‘struggled’ with being apart from his two eldest sons.

She said: ‘I feel like we’ve opened our eyes to a different world. But I love London, I love the UK. I love so many things about the UK. 

‘I do feel happy in Dubai, but I’m just missing a part of me.’

Kate added that the move has also helped Rio be more ‘present’ with his family, after he stepped back from his role as a pundit for TNT Sports last year. 

She added: ‘I think it’s an amazing place to live, I think it’s amazing for the children. The children are thriving and happy and living a life of just outside freedom.

‘Rio loves it so much. 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. 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.’

Kate added that she and her family have felt far safer in Dubai than the UK, however she admitted she’s even begun to ‘miss’ the English weather.

She added: ‘If I could merge the two worlds together it would be absolutely perfect.

‘I think I miss people. I miss the rain. The cold, cool air on your face. I miss the culture of England. Certain types of people and all different types of people. 

‘That’s also something I like about Dubai, that my kids are being brought up with all sorts of cultures.’

Sharing how the move has affected Rio, Kate added: ‘He’s been travelling a lot for the last three weeks, but the work life balance is better. When he’s at home he’s at home and present, whereas before he was working a lot.

‘We just go for walks and stuff. We did a lot together before, but I didn’t realise how much we were separate, because there was a lot in the diary.

‘He does the school run a lot of days. That’s a really nice thing… ‘It’s not like I’m unhappy, I’m adjusting.’