Kaz Crossley speaks out for first time after Dubai drugs arrest: ‘I’ve made mistakes’

Kaz Crossley was released from a Dubai jail after a week (Picture: Rex, @kazcrossley, Instagram)

Love Island star Kaz Crossley has addressed her arrest in Dubai for the first time, and claims the drugs video that led to the incident was leaked by an ex-boyfriend. 

The reality star, 28, was detained at Abu Dhabi airport in transit for a flight to Thailand earlier in February. 

She was then transported to a jail in Dubai where a video was filmed in November 2020, showing her snorting a white substance at a party in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. 

Kaz was released from jail after a week and she has now spoken out about it in a new video, confirming that it was her in the video. 

‘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 the clip shared to Instagram on Thursday. 

Detailing the situation, Kaz continued: ‘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. 

‘A year later, it then got leaked and then more recently, I was on my way to Thailand and had an amazing job offer.’ 

Kaz revealed that she had been offered her ‘dream job’ in Thailand and didn’t think about the transit in Abu Dhabi being 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 went on. 

‘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.’ 

Kaz then addressed speculation about who leaked the video in the first place, with many assuming it was a scorned friend who shared the footage that first appeared on The Sun. 

She revealed: ‘A lot of messages I’ve seen worried about who my friends are and that I should be careful about who’s in my circle. 

Kaz has confirmed it was her in the video (Picture: Rex, @kazcrossley, Instagram)

The reality star claims an ex-boyfriend leaked the video (Picture: Rex Features)

‘The video wasn’t taken by my friend, it was taken by an ex who I was with… in secret for a year. Didn’t know he had this video and then when we’ve broken up, that’s when he decided to leak it online.’ 

She did not name the ex-partner in question.

The reality star, who rose to fame on ITV2’s Love Island in 2018, said that the video leak ‘destroyed’ her mental health and caused her family to worry about her as she was bombarded with trolling on social media. 

She did not address the video at the time as she ‘just wanted it to go away’ but has taken time since then to ‘heal’. 

Kaz concluded: ‘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. 

Kaz rose to fame on the 2018 series of Love Island where she struck up a romance with Josh Denzel (Picture: Rex Features)

Kaz dated Theo Campbell for a year but they split early in 2020 (Picture: Backgrid)

‘I’m surrounding myself now with people who make me feel so seen, so safe, so supported.’ 

‘I’m [ready to] step into my power, take control of my life and take responsibility and move forward because I am so blessed to be here.’ 

She finished saying how grateful she now is for the smallest of things after being in jail, and met people in there who ‘literally had nobody’. 

Kaz starred on Love Island five years ago, joining the show as a new contestant when Casa Amor was introduced.

She immediately struck up a connection with Josh Denzel, who had previously been in a couple with Georgia Steel, resulting in a dramatic recoupling ceremony when Kaz and Josh returned to the main villa together.

The couple ended up reaching the final of the competition, finishing in third place behind Laura Anderson and Paul Knops, and winners Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham.

Kaz and Josh split just months after the series ended and she went on to date former Love Island star Theo Campbell. Her relationship with Theo ended in 2020 after nearly a year together, but it’s not known who she dated after.

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She has spoken out about the incident for the first time.