A BBC STAR has revealed she was ‘detained’ in Dubai for two months during a ‘horrible’ ordeal.
Sofia Hayat has recalled being stopped by officials in the Middle East after accidentally committing a crime.
The UAE is known for its tough laws and the actress – who is best known for Waterloo Road – found herself on the receiving end of it.
Sofia, 39, explained how she had broken defamation law when she fell out with a pal who owed her money.
After the bust up Sofia thought nothing more of it – until she had her passport seized at the airport.
The star said police then detained her for 12 hours and she was forced to remain in Dubai.
She told MailOnline: “Dubai is actually a hell hole. I expected a modern country full of glamour, wealth and all the amazing things it appears to be on Instagram and TikTok. That’s all a lie. I’ll never go back.
“Being held like that is horrible. I was heartbroken and it was extremely lonely.
“I was constantly cancelling clients because I couldn’t go home and worried all the time that I’d lose them. I couldn’t book a long-term place to stay because I had no idea how long I’d have to be there I was having trouble sleeping.”
When it came to her hearing, Sofia said she could have been jailed or slapped with a hefty fine – but her passport was returned to her and she was free to go.
The BBC actress claimed her extra two months in the Middle East set her back £20,000.
She continued: “They just threw me in a cell – they didn’t tell me anything.
“When I asked what was going on, the policeman just told me to ‘shut up’.
“At first, I was having panic attacks. I was shaking and crying as they questioned me. They kept saying I’d threatened to expose a sex tape. I threatened to expose a name.’
LEAVING/LEFT
Newsnight’s Mark Urban after 35 years on air
Claudia Winkleman quitting BBC Radio 2 after 15 years
Correspondent Robin Brant after two decades
Sports presenter Garry Richardson after 50 years
BBC Radio star Jason Rosam after 16 years on air
Jordan North quitting Radio 1 and moving to Capital
RETURNING/RETURNED
Martine Croxall after launching legal action against the Beeb
Karin Giannone after a horror injury and year off air
Annita McVeigh after losing out on a chief presenter job last year
Geeta Guru-Murthy after also being off air for more than a year
