Rio Ferdinand has taken his wife Kate and their family to Dubai for a break ahead of his lengthy departure to the United States for the World Cup — giving the couple a chance to spend time together after Kate was left heartbroken by the death of her beloved dog Ronnie.
Kate, 34, announced at the weekend that Ronnie, her pet since her TOWIE days, had passed away. “Heartbroken. Anyone that knows me knows how much I love my baby Rons. So so sad,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing photographs of the dog she had owned since 2015, when she and then-boyfriend Dan Edgar adopted him as a puppy. The pair had even appeared together on TOWIE, with one memorable clip showing Dan buying Ronnie a teddy. Following her marriage to Rio in 2019, Kate gave the dog her new surname, later writing on his fourth birthday: “Ronnie is 4 today. He’s also had a name change — his first birthday as Ronnie Ferdinand.”
As Kate continued to grieve, sharing a black and white photograph of Ronnie’s empty bed accompanied by a broken heart emoji, Rio apparently decided enough was enough. Kate noted that her husband had “had enough” of her staring at the dog bed and whisked her and their five-year-old son Cree away for an impromptu trip, with the rest of the family joining them in Dubai.
Rio, 47, shared a gallery of family photographs from the trip, capturing relaxed moments with his sons Lorenz, 19, and Tate, 17, and a snapshot of daughter Tia, 15, surrounded by balloons and a large bouquet to mark her birthday. He also posted a glamorous shot of Kate enjoying a drink in the sunshine. The trip also brought a brush with football royalty, with Rio pictured catching up with Cristiano Ronaldo following the Portuguese star’s triumph in the Saudi Pro League.
The Dubai visit follows a community fitness event the couple hosted at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel last month as part of their wellness venture One Body Co, an online platform promoting holistic health. The free workout drew a crowd and saw both Rio and Kate — wearing matching Squatwolf gym sets — take to the stage with headsets to lead participants through physically demanding challenges.
Time together is now at a premium. Rio is preparing to fly to the United States, where he will co-host an after-show programme for Fox Sports alongside James Corden, covering the World Cup. The show, titled After Hours, launches on 11 June and will also feature comedian Ian Karmel in the studio.
The couple are no strangers to Dubai, having previously fled the emirate after what Kate described as a “nervous system reset” following a period of Iranian drone attacks in the UAE that forced the family to shelter in their basement. They subsequently spent time at their holiday home in Portugal before returning to London and later travelling to the Maldives.
