Rita Ora has reportedly been told off by her parents after hosting a 30th birthday gathering for her friends at a Notting Hill restaurant.
The singer, 30, has been hit by backlash from her fans after flouting coronavirus rules to celebrate her milestone birthday last month.
According to the Sun, Rita’s parents – Vera and Besnik Sahatciu – have been the latest people to ‘step in’ and give their daughter a ‘ticking off’ for her actions.
Ticking off: Rita Ora has reportedly been told off by her parents after hosting a 30th birthday gathering for her friends at a Notting Hill restaurant
A friend said: ‘Rita knows she’s let her fans down massively and feels a huge weight of responsibility on her shoulders.
‘Her parents have been the latest to step in and have words with her. Her mum Vera visited her on Sunday to give her a real ticking off. And then Rita’s dad Besnik took her out for a long walk to discuss what had happened.
‘Rita knows she has made mistakes and is heartbroken that she’s caused so much pain and disappointment to her fans — let alone her family.’
The singer, 30, has been hit by backlash from her fans after flouting coronavirus rules to celebrate her milestone birthday last month (pictured Elena Ora, Rita Ora, Vera Sahatciu and Besnik Sahatciu in 2018)
Not impressed? According to the Sun , Rita’s parents – Vera and Besnik Sahatciu (pictured) – have been the latest people to ‘step in’ and give their daughter a ‘ticking off’ for her actions
The source claimed that Rita has a very close relationship with her parents and has taken their advice on board following the incident.
This comes after Vera slammed people who break COVID-19 rules, just days after her daughter was caught flouting lockdown twice.
The psychiatrist, 56, who has returned to work for the NHS during the pandemic, posted a MailOnline photo of London‘s crowded Regent Street on Instagram, in which she took aim at those not social distancing.
She wrote: ‘Can’t believe this, has the virus disappeared already?’
Vera’s words come just days after Rita was slammed for throwing her bash with 30 people, and later for failing to quarantine after a trip to Egypt shortly before the party.
Slammed: Rita’s NHS worker mother Vera recently slammed people who break COVID-19 rules, just days after her daughter was caught flouting lockdown twice
Vera was seen looking stern as she emerged from Rita’s home on Thursday, after the singer issued an apology for an ‘inexcusable error of judgement’ and paid a £10,000 fine.
Rita declared she would be having a quiet 30th birthday two weeks prior to throwing her lockdown-flouting party.
The singer claimed she was only going to be celebrating with her parents due to England being in a second lockdown at the time.
The article included a string of quotes from the pop star about how she was ‘being patient like everyone’ – despite later being caught leaving a restaurant with up to 30 friends and family, breaking the rules in the process and paying a £10k fine.
The interview took place in early November, in which she said of her lockdown experience: ‘I’m being patient – getting through it like everyone.’
She went on to divulge her apparent birthday plans, saying: ‘It’s going to literally be just my parents and me. I’m actually looking forward to it. To just hanging out with my parents. Is that weird?’
Fury: The psychiatrist, 56, who has returned to work for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic, posted a MailOnline photo of London’s crowded Regent Street on Instagram
Known as a fan of the social scene and partying, she then remarked: ‘My reputation’s going to go down the drain but [my parents are] my favourite people to hang out with.’
This leaves Rita with egg on her face for the third time, having been caught twice flouting the rules.
This weekend, the Mail On Sunday revealed that prior to her birthday the singer flew by private jet to Cairo on November 21 to perform at the five-star W Hotel.
She returned the next day and under Government quarantine rules should have self-isolated for 14 days.
Instead of this, she threw a birthday party on November 28 at the exclusive Casa Cruz restaurant in Notting Hill, West London.
For this she apologised with the following statement: ‘Hello all, I attended a small gathering with some friends to celebrate my 30th birthday.
‘It was a spur of the moment decision made with the misguided view that we were coming out of lockdown and this would be OK…
‘I’m deeply sorry for breaking the rules and in turn understand that this puts people at risk.
‘This was a serious and inexcusable error of judgement. Given the restrictions, I realise how irresponsible these actions were and I take full responsibility.
‘I feel particularly embarrassed knowing first-hand how hard people have worked to combat this terrible illness and being fully aware of the sacrifices that people and businesses have made to help keep us all safe.
‘Even though this won’t make it right, I want to sincerely apologise.’
She paid the hefty £10k fine for breaching these protocols, having been reported to the police, who investigated the restaurant, which, to any passers-by, looked to be closed up.
Doing her bit: Rita’s mother Vera returned to the NHS frontline amid the COVID-19 pandemic in March. The healthcare professional is a psychiatrist and former GP
Rita was, on Saturday, forced into another grovelling apology for breaching strict coronavirus rules, amid the latest embarrassment.
She said: ‘I recently flew to Egypt to perform at a corporate event for a private company, where my travel party followed protocol and presented negative Covid tests upon entry, as required by Egyptian authorities.
‘Upon my return to Britain, I should have followed Government advice and isolated myself for the required period. As you know, I didn’t follow Government advice and… I apologise again, unreservedly.
‘While I realise the apologetic words of a pop star might not carry much weight, especially one who has broken the rules like I have, I do realise some might seek to follow my example.
‘My message to them is simple: please don’t. The guilt and shame I’ve carried this week for my mistake aren’t worth it. Instead, continue to listen to the Government advice and the voices of the heroes of the NHS and take the required precautions.’
She added: ‘I hope to one day make it up to the public who have given me so much support over the years and, in particular, make it up to the heroes of the NHS…
‘In the meantime, I will be donating my fee from Egypt to charity. Be better than I have been and learn from my mistakes so you don’t have to learn the hard way yourselves.’
A spokesperson for the star, estimated to be worth £10 million, said she and her team had all subsequently tested negative for coronavirus.
Caught in the act: The Sunday Times Magazine published an interview in which the singer claimed she was only celebrating with her parents due to England being in a second lockdown at the time [pictured on her birthday]
Earlier this week, Piers Morgan slammed Rita for the incident. The Good Morning Britain presenter insisted the singer was simply sorry she got caught.
Piers, 55, asked, ‘What does her mum think about this?’ as he reminded viewers that her mother Vera returned to the frontline to work for the NHS amid the pandemic.
He said: ‘This Rita Ora thing annoyed me because suddenly she’s “deeply sorry” and volunteered to pay the £10,000 fine – which will barely touch the sides of her pocket money.
‘What is she “deeply sorry” about? She knew what she was doing, we are in a national lockdown – it’s not a secret!
‘She’s a very rich pop star and she deliberately planned a 30th birthday party – I don’t know what the restaurant was thinking, so how are you able to do that? And why were you doing that?’
He added: ‘You plan a 30th birthday like that, you turn up, invite all your famous buddies, you party and have a great night – the police come and bang on the door.
‘If they’re all doing that, if the rules aren’t for them, then what’s the point of the rules?
‘”I’m deeply sorry”, what about? You’re not deeply sorry – you’re deeply sorry you got caught! That’s what you’re “deeply sorry” about.
‘If you hadn’t been caught would you be issuing a statement saying: “I’ve just woken up and realised what I did was terribly wrong and I’m deeply sorry?”‘
I’m sorry: Rita offered an apology on social media on Monday and said she felt ‘particularly embarrassed’
Piers noted that Rita has said in her statement that lockdown was about to end and so she thought it would be fine.
He said: ‘So you knew there was a lockdown, otherwise you wouldn’t have thought it was about to come to an end.’
Susanna Reid added: ‘Also, even when lockdown comes to an end it’s still against the rules to have 30 people come together.’
Piers later said: ‘Her mother’s a health worker! She spent most of the first wave of the pandemic speaking about her pride for the health service.
“She even launched a coronavirus range of clothing saying “stop the spread”… And then she invites [30] of her mates for her lockdown-breaking 30th birthday.
‘It’s exhausting keeping up with these people, it’s just so selfish.’
Police were called to Rita’s party and the Met Police gave a statement to MailOnline.
They said: ‘Police were called at 21:10hrs on Saturday, 28 November to reports of a potential breach of Covid regulations at a commercial premises in Clarendon Road, W11.
‘Officers attended and carried out enquiries at the scene. They found no record of any offence being committed.’
Notting Hill restaurant Casa Cruz is named after Chilean-born Juan Santa Cruz, who resigned as restaurateur in February.
Nicholas Fallows, who is listed as the sole director of Casa Cruz London Ltd, insisted he was unaware of the event.
Francois Perrodo, 43, who with mother Carrie are among Britain’s richest business bosses with their £5.8billion fortune, is the majority shareholder in Casa Cruz.
Mr Perrodo is a businessman and racing car driver and has competed in a number of races in his birth country of France.
His fortune comes from the oil and gas industry and he is the chairman of the Anglo-French company Perenco, which was founded by his late father Hubert.
A source told MailOnline: ‘He had absolutely no idea this was being held there.’
The director of the restaurant also said they were in the dark on who had approved the party, deepening the mystery over who gave it the go-ahead.
A day prior to Piers’ remarks, Lorraine Kelly waded into the debate.
On Monday it was her own birthday, and , she spoke to Piers and Susanna as they linked from the GMB studio to the Lorraine studio.
Susanna said: ‘It’s a shame we can’t come give you a hug and a kiss, although you’re probably glad you can’t get one from Piers. Are you having a small get together?’
‘Yeah, it’s just what everyone is doing apart from Rita Ora,’ Lorraine replied.
Cara and Poppy Delevingne as well as TOWIE star Vas Morgan, 31, and Rita’s sister Elena, 32, were seen at the venue.
Rita was also spotted leaving the building while wearing a slinky wrap skirt and black face mask.
A source told The Sun: ‘Rita and her sister came to the restaurant first, all dolled up and clearly looking forward to a good night.
‘There were a number of guests, all dressed up very glamorously, and everyone entered the building through the back, with security watching the front to make sure no one else went in. It went on until the early hours.’
Guidelines brought in with the lockdown on November 5 stated that people must ‘not meet socially indoors with family or friends unless they are part of your household, meaning the people you live with, or your support bubble’.