Una Healy's kids blocked from flying to US

13 July 2021

Una Healy's children have been blocked from entering America to see their dad, Ben Foden.

Una Healy

The Saturdays singer had handed Aoife, nine, and Tadhg, six, over to their stepmother Jackie Smith Foden after she flew from New York to Dublin to accompany the youngsters on the plane to spend the summer in her native US, but after spending hours at the airport, immigration officials refused to let the kids travel.

Explaining the situation, American Jackie - whose husband couldn't make the trip himself because he's waiting for his full US citizenship to be granted - wrote on Instagram: "I currently just spent the past month organising their trips over to the US- getting tickets booked.

"Hours on the phone with Aer Lingus making sure their stepmother can bring them over and booking their ESTAs. Ben can't travel because he is getting his greencard processed and can't leave the country.

"I take the red eye to Dublin last night. When I checked in at JFK the attendants check on the kids return flights. Everyone was made aware of my plans to turn right back around with my stepkids.

"I pick them up in Dublin today only to have their tickets blocked by immigration.

"An hour at check in trying to get them through and then another 1-2 hours stuck in immigration offices only to be told there is a ban on EU citizens and there's nothing possible we can do other than fly to Turkey or Mexico quarantine for 14 days and then bring them over from there."

Jackie - who has 14-month-old Farrah with Ben - admitted she and the children were devastated and praised their parents for being able to calm the children down.

She continued: "Having to break these poor babies hearts who had their hopes up for a fun summer with their dad and sister, we are all not okay right now.

"Una was a rockstar with them, they were on the phone with their dad. Both Una and he calmed them down. I am very much not okay and I am a complete mess."

The family are now looking into options for alternative plans over the summer.

She wrote: "We will [be] filing for emergency travel for Ben and probably be spending the rest of the summer in England/Ireland when Ben's rugby season is done."