Rio and Kate Ferdinand party the night away with pals Umar and Nada Kamani as they ring in the New Year at PLT founder’s lavish Dubai mansion

Rio and Kate Ferdinand partied the night away with their friends Umar and Nada Kamani as they rang in the New Year at the PrettyLittleThing founder’s mansion in Dubai.

The former TOWIE star, 33, and the ex-footballer, 46, met in 2016 through mutual friends while they were both on holiday in Dubai and headed there for NYE.

The couple attended a lavish New Year’s party at the home of Umar, who founded PLT but stepped down as CEO in 2023, in the United Arab Emirates.

Rio and Kate were joined by their children and were among the guests treated to an incredible evening, including a performance by Craig David.

Kate and Rio posed for photos with friends Umar and Nada as they thanked them for hosting the bash.

Kate shared a photo of her and Rio looking cozy on her Instagram Story, writing: ‘What a fantastic evening with friends and family.

‘How lucky we are that we can now party with our big children, the best feeling.’

An adorable video showed Kate, who looked sensational in a black halter neck and skirt combo, as she held hands with her son Cree, four, and daughter Shae, 18 months.

Another clip Kate shared showed her and Rio having the time of their lives as they wore ‘The Kamanis’ sunglasses and danced the night away at performances.

The couple returned to the UAE in 2025, eight years after meeting there.

Alongside the post, she wrote: ‘Rio and I met eight years ago yesterday.

‘Who would have thought that, fast forward to now, we would be back where we met, married, with two more beautiful children, five in total

‘It’s crazy to think that a chance meeting, and so many obstacles thrown our way, that we would want to see in the new year as a family of seven (I just miss our Lorenz).

‘I’m entering 2025 feeling very grateful and excited for what’s to come ‘.

Kate and her husband Rio, who married in 2019, are parents to Cree, who was born in December 2020, and daughter Shae, who was born via caesarean section last year.

She is also stepmother to his three children Lorenz, 18, Tate, 15, and Tia, 13, from his previous marriage to Rebecca Ellison, who died in 2015.

In November, three-year-old Cree was rushed to hospital with a horrific injury during a family trip to the Maldives.

Former TOWIE star Kate shared the scary news on her Instagram when she posted a photo in the back of an ambulance with her toddler, but did not say how he suffered the injury.

She wrote of the summit: ‘We ended a fantastic trip with a broken collarbone. My boy always gets hurt!!

“It’s been sleepless nights, cuddles, TV and chocolate ever since.”

The podcaster told how the frightening incident happened at the end of their ‘fantastic trip’ and told how Cree ‘keeps getting injured’.

She said since the injury they have been dealing with “sleepless nights” as he recovers.

Kate has remained open about her struggles to adapt in a blended family, admitting that she “overthinks” her actions when it comes to caring for her stepchildren.

During an appearance on Virgin Radio, she explained: ‘My family is so accepting of it. They love me. It has nothing to do with them. I will always be a little worried, and it will be a bit of a struggle. I don’t think the box was ever fully checked.

“I think sometimes I can make the mistake that they are teenagers who don’t listen. I start thinking, ‘Oh my god, is it me? Is it because I’m their stepmother?’

“And every now and then I just have to sit back and say, ‘They’re teenagers and this is what teenagers do.’ But you can be a little more sensitive.’