Ellie Watkins, wife of England international striker Ollie Watkins, has returned to the United Kingdom with their two children to seek safety and stability following a series of deadly missile attacks in Saudi Arabia.
The family had moved to Riyadh over the summer following Watkins’ £51 million transfer from Aston Villa to Al-Hilal, but recent security concerns have disrupted their stay indefinitely.
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The sudden evacuation follows a sharp escalation in regional conflict, including a Houthi missile strike on Riyadh’s primary airport that left 13 dead, as well as an attack at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam that killed two people.
Major transit hubs across the country have since operated on reduced flight schedules as authorities respond to the security threat.
Sharing an update on TikTok, the 30-year-old mother of two confirmed she had brought five-year-old Amara and three-year-old Marley back to the UK.
“We’ve had a bit of a plot twist,” Ellie explained.
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“I have come back to the UK for, hopefully, a little bit. I don’t actually know when. There’s just a little bit of conflict and things going on over in Saudi and we basically decided just to stay here until it calms down.”
While Ollie Watkins remains in Saudi Arabia to fulfill his commitments with Al-Hilal, Ellie emphasized that her primary focus was restoring routine for their young family.
“I felt like I needed to do that for the kids so there is some form of normality until we can get back out there and all be together,” she concluded.
