5 million home in the UAE after the conflict broke out. They are part of a larger exodus, with more than 63,000 Britons returning home from the region since the start of the conflict, according to government figures. The Ferdinands joined fellow stars such as Lindsey Lohan, Taylor Ward, Luisa Zissman, Laura Anderson and Petra Ecclestone in choosing to leave their UAE lives behind.
The family had moved to Dubai last summer with their two children, son Cree (5) and daughter Shae (2), and Rio's daughter Tia (13) from his first marriage, while Rio's two older sons, Lorenz (19) and Tate (17), remained in the UK. Rio Ferdinand and Kate returned to the UK to support son Tate as he signed with talent agency New Era Global Sports Management in London, where Tate plays for the Brighton & Hove Albion youth academy. Rio Ferdinand needed to be back in London to film his football podcast, Rio Ferdinand Presents.
New Era Global Sports Management is owned by ex-footballers Jamie Moralee and Peter Smith, and Rio Ferdinand is an ambassador/mentor with a significant ownership stake in the agency. Rio Ferdinand and Kate plan to head back to the UAE in the near future. Rio Ferdinand and his wife Kate have landed in the Maldives, where Rio runs holiday football camps, Football Escapes, which he co-owns with former Premier League players Bobby Zamora and Mark Noble.
Kate previously shared that she wanted to be with family for Mother's Day. It is unclear why the couple chose the Maldives as their next destination after Portugal and the UK, or how long they plan to stay there. The specific date of their arrival in the Maldives and the exact source for the government figures on returning Britons have not been disclosed.