Caroline Stanbury, the 49-year-old star of Real Housewives of Dubai, has returned to the city with her husband, Sergio Carrallo, 31, declaring ‘there’s no place like home’ as they resume everyday routines.
Safe Flight Amid Regional Tensions
Stanbury and Carrallo spent early February in the US filming the latest series of the US version of The Traitors. Iranian retaliatory missile strikes closed commercial airspace across the Gulf, stranding the couple while Stanbury’s 16-year-old twin sons, Zack and Aaron, remained in Dubai with their father, ex-husband Cem Habib, an investment banker.
Over the weekend, the pair shared a video of their business-class flight home, captioned ‘There is no place like home.’ Stanbury sipped champagne and expressed excitement about reuniting with her sons. Upon landing, she described a brief moment of panic in the final minutes but noted everyone else stayed calm. ‘Everything is kind of in your head,’ she said. ‘It feels so good. I was going crazy, home is home.’
Everyday Luxury and Normalcy in Dubai
As airport staff loaded their luggage, Stanbury praised the service: ‘It’s so nice to land and be looked after. I definitely know why I live in Dubai.’ Driving through the city, Carrallo observed, ‘Look at how normal everything looks, full of people everywhere on the roads. Life is absolutely normal here.’
Stanbury added, ‘I’m so happy. The biggest concern right now is that I’m in a group chat of whether it’s going to rain tonight, that’s all that’s on my community group chat. Literally nothing else, life in Dubai is absolutely perfect.’ The video concluded with the couple relaxing in pajamas at home, reunited with their dogs.
Views on Middle East Conflict
Earlier this month, while stuck in Los Angeles, Stanbury commented on the regional war on her podcast, Uncut and Uncensored. She called the missile alerts in Dubai ‘crazy’ and harmful to the nervous system but saw a positive side. ‘I feel like I’m going home to maybe a different Middle East… maybe things will slow down a bit, but I actually don’t think that’s bad,’ she stated. ‘I think there needed to be a little bit of a correction because everybody was coming. And when that happens, you get the good, the bad, and the ugly. I think some of the ugly needed to go and I’m not unhappy about that. Not to mention the traffic.’
US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran last month prompted retaliatory drone and missile attacks. Debris from an intercepted missile ignited a fire at a luxury hotel on Palm Jumeirah, and a drone hit the US consulate in Dubai.
Stanbury defended her choice to return: ‘I know that people are second-guessing choices, like, will I feel okay to go back to the Middle East? I love America… but I don’t consider it safer than living where I live… In fact, I would say the Middle East where I am is still safer than America today.’ She emphasized no major damage occurred in Dubai and affirmed her attachment: ‘My home is there. My children are there. My life is there. I love it.’
She rejected claims of government payments: ‘The government doesn’t pay me anything… It is just the actual truth.’
Background and Success in Dubai
Born in London and educated at Westonbirt boarding school and King’s College London, Stanbury has lived in Dubai for nearly 12 years. She relocated after Habib’s job offer. The couple divorced in 2019 after 15 years; she married Carrallo, a former Spanish footballer, in 2021.
Stanbury credits Dubai’s tax-free environment for her achievements: ‘It gave me energy because I didn’t have to give half of my money away to tax… So I had excess money to start businesses.’ Originally from London’s elite social scene—daughter of venture capitalist Anthony Stanbury and Elizabeth, linked to the Vestey family—she built success from scratch post-divorce.
The conflict disrupted her 50th birthday plans in April: ‘I had planned the biggest party… amazing singers, the perfect venue… I’m now going to have to move it till September.’ With 190 guests expected, she aimed to celebrate family, friends, and milestones.
