Petra Ecclestone defends flying to several countries during pandemic

Petra Ecclestone has defended jetting to a handful of countries during the coronavirus pandemic.

The heiress – the daughter of Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone – has been in places such as Croatia, Switzerland, Monaco and the Maldives since the outbreak of the virus.

She told The Times she had been trying to “miss” the pandemic and that she and her family had not broken any rules.

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“We’re currently in Monaco. For now. Not sure where we’ll be next week..." she said.

"We’re very COVID-conscious. We’ve flown completely around the world to try and miss it."

"What I think we’ve realised now is you can’t run from coronavirus," she added.

Ecclestone, her three children and her fiancé Sam Palmer returned home to London early in 2020, and welcomed their first child together there.

They later headed to Croatia and Switzerland.

After two months there they went to Monaco, which she said they picked because “it has done very well for coronavirus”.

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The family also enjoyed a holiday in the Maldives together, but Ecclestone pointed out that they were living in a country where they were able to travel.

“It is unfair, but I feel like if people had the opportunity, they’d go on holiday too,” she went on.

Calling herself a “huge hypochondriac” Ecclestone said she worries about germs anyway, and that the pandemic “isn’t great for my anxiety”.

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