FILTHY RICH
Inside millionaire’s playground Dubai, where blowing £10k on a bottle of champagne and taking a yacht out is ‘normal’
IT is a millionaire’s playground where taking a yacht out on the weekend is “normal”, men buy new cars for their girlfriends and revellers think nothing of blowing £10,000 on a bottle of champagne.
Yet despite such extravagant displays of wealth, Dubai is one of the safest places to flash your bling, according to British expat Amy Kitchingman.
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Born in West Yorkshire, Amy claims that you can leave your handbag in the supermarket and it will still be there when you go back — with locals even chasing you across the store to return it.
But Amy, 33 — who appears in BBC2 documentary Inside Dubai: Playground Of The Rich — insists there is much more to the city than private jets and 5H hotels.
She revealed: “There is a lot of money in Dubai but the longer you live here, the less you notice it.
“And you don’t have to be mega-rich to have a nice lifestyle.
“My friend, for instance, is a schoolteacher and she and the other staff quite regularly put money in to hire a yacht on the weekend so they can sail around.
"It’s a nice thing to do and four hours at sea might cost you a grand, or £100 each, so it’s not seen as super-extravagant.
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“If people show off here it’s because they feel safe doing so.
“You could leave a gold Rolex in your shopping trolley and someone would probably chase after you saying, ‘Excuse me, you’ve left something’.
“I regularly put my handbag in the trolley and wander off and when I come back, it’s always there.
“But if I go home to the UK and do the same thing, my mum will start shouting at me.”
Amy is just one of the Dubai residents we meet on the show.
Others include socialite Sonia Pronk, who has more designer handbags and shoes than she can count, and Rashed Belhasa, 19, Dubai’s “richest teenager” who owns a fleet of supercars including a £200,000 Ferrari.
Another, Caroline Stanbury, has caused controversy by bragging on the BBC2 show that she moved to the oil-rich nation so she could enjoy and show off her wealth, which she felt unable to do in the UK.
The multi-millionaire socialite caused particular offence by saying British people are encouraged to take communal baths and turn their lights off to save money.
Such was the controversy that Caroline, 45, appeared on Good Morning Britain to defend herself.
Amy does not share her views.
She replies: “I don’t know Caroline but from what I’ve seen on the documentary she’s outspoken and she’s smart — she wants to create a buzz.
“She knows what she’s doing.
You could leave a gold Rolex in your shopping trolley and someone would probably chase after you saying, ‘Excuse me, you’ve left something’.
Amy Kitchingman
“For a lot of people, what she was saying is not relatable. For me, living here for so long, wealth is not what it’s all about. I hate it when people portray it as ‘money, money, money’ and I can buy anything I want. It’s real life here, not a reality show.
“My friends have normal families and are raising children and trying to buy houses and build a foundation.
“I don’t have staff, just a cleaner who comes in once a week. I had the same when I lived in London.”
Amy was born in the village of Birstall, outside Leeds.
She competed in Miss Great Britain in 2008 and a year later moved to London to work as a TV presenter when she was just 21.
She first went to Dubai on holiday in 2010 to see a friend and celebrate New Year’s Eve there.
But she loved the United Arab Emirates (UAE) city so much she decided to move there the same year.
She said: “When I first came here, I was like, ‘Oh wow’. What girl doesn’t admire beautiful fashion and nice things? You see that all the time here. I wanted that kind of lifestyle and seeing it gave me motivation.
“I saw there was a gap in the market for TV hosts and I immediately got a job on a health and fitness channel called Physique TV. The money was good and there was no tax, so whatever I earned went into my pocket.
“I was so happy. Who wouldn’t be happy? Sunshine all the time and nice beaches.
"For the same rent I was paying in London, I got an apartment here that was twice the size, with access to a swimming pool and tennis courts. It was a dream come true.”
Dubai was once just a sleepy fishing port on the banks of the Arabian Gulf.
Dubai is the safest place I have ever visited or lived in. I can go out at any time and not think twice about something bad happening.
Amy Kitchingman
Oil money has transformed it in the past 50 years and it is now one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Middle East, filled with skyscrapers, fancy clubs and beaches.
An influx of British people has seen a boozy culture of limitless drinks and endless food take hold — despite strict Islamic laws banning alcohol in many places.
The population has multiplied by 80 times since the 1960s and it now counts 52,000 millionaires and billionaires among its 3.3million inhabitants.
It is known as the “Monaco of the Middle East” and has 2.5million expats living there.
During the pandemic, British influencers and reality stars — including Towie’s James Lock, Geordie Shore’s Chloe Ferry, Sophie Kasaei and Bethan Kershaw and Love Islander Gabby Allen — descended on Dubai all in the name of “work” and posted glamorous shots of themselves in swimwear in the sun.
The rapid growth has created a culture clash and there have been shocking incidents where expats and tourists have been thrown in jail for being too drunk or stripping off.
More disturbing allegations have centred around women being arrested for having sex outside marriage or for being intoxicated when trying to report a rape to police.
Amy argues Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world for women but admits she fell foul of the hardline rules when she was starting out.
She said: “I was once given a red card in the mall for wearing a knee-length dress.
"It was a normal thing back then. Security would say, ‘Sorry but we don’t think you’re dressed appropriately’ — and you would go home and get changed.
"It’s much more relaxed here now and I know how to carry myself.
“Public displays of affection or doing the no-pants dance on the beach — that’s not what I’m about.
What girl doesn’t admire beautiful fashion and nice things? You see that all the time here. I wanted that kind of lifestyle and seeing it gave me motivation.
Amy Kitchingman
“The main thing here is security. Dubai is the safest place I have ever visited or lived in. I can go out at any time and not think twice about something bad happening.
“If people want to show off, they feel safe doing that in Dubai.
“This is a place that attracts people who won’t think anything of spraying £10,000 bottles of champagne. But I’ve seen people do the same thing in London and Monaco. A lot of celebs come to Dubai and you regularly see them in restaurants.
"I interviewed Donald Trump, who was sweet, chatty and funny, and also the boxer Manny Pacquiao, who was very nice.”
Amy lives in an apartment with a swimming pool in downtown Dubai and loves nice clothes.
But she says: “I live in pyjamas and I don’t let myself spend extortionate amounts.
"I love the website Revolve, which has brands from £20 for a top to £400 for a dress. I normally holiday in Cannes and St Tropez.
“I went to the Maldives for the first time last year for a girlie vacation. We’re lucky here because it’s very central, so you can get everywhere easily.”
Amy, who is in a long-term relationship, has many tales of dating extravagance in Dubai.
She says: “I’ve heard stories of guys trying to wow girls with expensive gifts. You see them on Instagram showing off about guys buying cars for them. Life here is undeniably glamorous and beautiful.
“I’m a normal person but I have established myself and now have a nice lifestyle. If I can move here and have this, then anyone can.”
- Inside Dubai: Playground Of The Rich is on BBC2 at 9pm tomorrow, or watch the whole series on BBC iPlayer.
Real deal for Dawn
TV beauty Dawn Ward has moved to the UAE to join the cast of The Real Housewives Of Dubai, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.
The property guru announced she was quitting The Real Housewives Of Cheshire in December 2020, saying she wanted to concentrate on projects with her family.
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But in reality Dawn, 48, was planning to be part of the Dubai version – which will be shown in the US – with rumoured stars to include Caroline Stanbury from BBC2’s Inside Dubai.
A source said: “Dawn knew about the Dubai show long before she quit the Cheshire one. She was on RHOC from the start and was the centre of the show, so everyone was shocked when she left. But now it all makes sense.
“She’s told friends she is moving out to Dubai with her retired footballer husband Ashley for the new programme. She is launching her interior company over there and the show is the biggest advert she can get.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The mum of four recently became a grandmother for the first time after eldest daughter Darby, 24, gave birth to a girl.
Another of her daughters, Taylor, 23, wed Man City star Riyad Mahrez this month.
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Paris Hilton shares photos from her Dubai honeymoon with Carter Ruem as they pose with camels
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