Former Love Island star and model Arabella Chi, 34, tells of her terror after her new home of Dubai is hit by Iranian missile strikes…
When I moved to Dubai with my boyfriend Billy Henty and our baby daughter, Gigi, in September last year I thought I was signing up for a glamorous lifestyle – year-round sunshine and the chance to raise my child in one of the safest places in the world.
But nothing could have prepared us for the events of the past three days, which have been both terrifying and surreal.
Since the weekend, Dubai, which is usually the perfect place to party and has become a second home for countless celebrities and influencers, has turned into a ghost town.
The city has been hit by missiles and drones as part of an attack launched by Iran in response to the US-Israel strikes against it. I have even watched from my villa as three strikes were intercepted, huge balls of fire streaking across the sky.
We were on the beach on the Palm Jumeirah island when we heard our first bang, and everyone started checking their phones to read the news. We were told missiles were being launched and intercepted, but people weren’t panicking and the beach was still full. We didn’t realise what was coming because you don’t expect missiles in the sky.
We left about an hour later and began driving home, but as we passed the Fairmont Hotel, a five-star luxury resort, we heard two loud bangs when debris from a missile struck the hotel.
On Saturday night we thought, ‘Let’s go for dinner’, but after the bangs became more frequent we decided to stay at home. We couldn’t even eat – my hands were shaking and the adrenaline made my appetite vanish. At around 7pm, we stood outside and watched the missiles being intercepted. Later, we just sat there in silence, constantly looking at the news.
You hear a bang and the whole house seems to shake. The sound is scarier than the reality; it’s just a missile being intercepted. The bang itself isn’t dangerous, but it feels like it could be. You have to be aware of the debris falling, too.
My brother and sister-in-law are stuck in Dubai after visiting me – they can’t get on a flight to come back to the UK. They had booked another flight for tomorrow, but it has been cancelled.
At night, I am petrified – we don’t know what’s coming. When it goes silent, as it did on Sunday evening, we think, ‘Is that it?’ But sadly the bangs started again this morning. The missiles are being aimed at US bases and there’s one nearby in Abu Dhabi.
Living in the unknown means we have to take every precaution, but we also try to carry on with our days. If the interceptions weren’t happening, it would be a different story, but knowing the government is successfully stopping the missiles gives me confidence. I trust that they’re doing an excellent job.
Part of the problem is that I live in a villa with no basement. We’re trying to find spots with no windows for us to shelter in, but there aren’t many because our home is modern. We cleared out our storage area so that we could wait out any explosions there if necessary. I considered putting Gigi’s cot in the windowless hallway but decided to keep her with me, my partner and our dog in another room.
It feels strange. No one was leaving their house yesterday and the streets are quiet. When we went for a dog walk, we made sure we were close enough to residential spaces so that we could duck into a garage if necessary.
We are all supporting each other, and my community is very family focused. Children are being home-schooled until Wednesday because the schools are shut as a precaution.
I’m fortunate that my daughter, who is just nine months old, doesn’t understand what’s happening. I know parents whose children are aware of the attacks, and I can only imagine how frightening that must be. Many families are telling their kids it’s just fireworks.
Right now, I do feel safe. The government is keeping us updated. On Saturday they sent out a warning to our phones, which was nerve-wracking. They’re saying we should only leave our homes when we need to.
As a British citizen, I’ve been asked whether we plan to continue living in Dubai – and the answer is yes. This is our home. Even though everything feels frightening right now, our sense of security remains. I know I’m in the majority.
Everyone I’ve spoken to agrees that, thanks to the government’s tight control here, it’s still safer than the UK, given the UK’s crime rates.
None of the missiles are hitting their targets, either, which shows just how impressive the city’s defence system is, even while being caught in the middle of this conflict.
