Kaz Crossley speaks of "mistakes" as she gives first official statement since Dubai prison release
Love Island star Kaz Crossley has given her first official statement since being released from a Dubai prison where she was held on suspicion of drug offences.
Crossley – who appeared on the hit dating show in 2018 – was arrested at Abu Dhabi airport on 13 February as she waited for a connecting flight to Thailand. It's believed the arrest was related to a video from November 2020, which allegedly showed Crossley sniffing a white powder whilst partying in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. But on Friday 17 February, it was reported that Crossley had been released from prison without charge after "fully cooperating" with investigating officers.
Now, Crossley has taken to Instagram to share an official statement with her fans about the ordeal and the events that led up to it. "I feel like I owe it to my followers and I owe it to myself to get closure about this situation because it’s been a good few years and I’m ready to move forward now," she began.
"In 2020, I was in Dubai and I was filmed – it was me in the video, no one forced me to do that – it was a time in my life where I definitely didn’t love myself at all probably and this is reflected in what I was doing to my body and who I surrounded myself with."
She went on: "A year later, it then got leaked and then more recently, I was on my way to Thailand and had an amazing job offer."
Crossley explained how she had been offered her "dream job" in Thailand and didn't think that transiting through Abu Dhabi would be an issue. "I was then detained in Abu Dhabi and kept in custody from Monday through to Friday which is when they released me," she continued. "I was very accepting of the situation for whatever was going to happen to me. I take full accountability, I did not lie and I said that was me in the video and I explained the situation, it was a long time ago etc."
The reality star concluded the message by saying: "I have made mistakes but I will not allow my past to define who I am now because I am truly falling in love with myself and the person I am truly becoming."
Earlier this week, Crossley shared a brief message to her Instagram Story after her release, telling fans that she wanted to "take some time to reflect" before sharing an official statement.
"I am safe, thank you for all your kind messages. I want to take some time to reflect before I comment on the past few days," she wrote. "Grateful for so much right now."
Crossley's release from prison has come as a relief to fans, given Dubai's strict laws when it comes to drug offences. The country in the Middle East is known to have a strict zero-tolerance policy on drugs. "Possession of even the smallest amount of illegal drugs can lead to a minimum three-month prison term or a fine not less than AED 20,000 [£4,561] and not exceeding AED 100,000 [£22,805]," explains a travel advisory page on the UK government's website.
At the time of Crossley's arrest, a Foreign Office spokesperson told Cosmopolitan UK that they were "providing consular assistance to a British national who was arrested in the United Arab Emirates."
Cosmopolitan UK has reached out to Kaz Crossley's team for comment.
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