Ellie Watkins, wife of England and Al-Hilal striker Ollie Watkins, has brought their two young children back to the UK amid deadly missile attacks in Saudi Arabia. The move comes just months after the family relocated to Riyadh following Ollie's £51 million transfer from Aston Villa.
Ellie Watkins announced the temporary relocation on TikTok, stating her desire to find "normality" for their children, Amara, five, and Marley, three. "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," she explained. "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."
The family's plans to settle in Saudi Arabia have been disrupted by recent attacks. Major airports in Saudi Arabia have reported reduced services following a Houthi movement missile attack on Riyadh's airport that killed 13 people. Another attack at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam resulted in two fatalities.
Ollie Watkins will continue to play for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League while his family is in the UK. He has scored five goals and provided five assists in eight league appearances so far this season. The club is scheduled to play Shabab AlAhli of Dubai in the Asian Champions League.
The ongoing regional instability has also impacted other sporting events. The 2027 AFC Asian Cup has been postponed until December 2027 due to "current exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions." The Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition event has been canceled, and Formula One is expected to move its end-of-season races.