Bridgerton star tells Nigel Farage the ‘real reason’ she is fleeing London: ‘Terrible news for the capital!’
Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour has told Nigel Farage she is leaving London after seven years in the capital following a violent attempted mugging incident.
The former Team GB swimmer, who transitioned from synchronised swimming to acting, appeared on the People’s Channel to discuss the attack that saw her fight back against a phone thief.
The attempted mugging occurred in a café where Chenneour was sitting when an attacker named Zacharias approached and took her phone.
Footage of the incident shows the actress immediately fighting back against the thief.
“I don’t remember doing that. I honestly don’t remember anything from it. I remember watching it back and thinking, I reacted like that?” the 27-year-old told Farage.
The actress revealed she is now able to conduct meetings remotely and travel for auditions, stating: “I just don’t want to live in the city anymore.”
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“I’ve lived here for seven years. My acting career started here when I left sport. It’s where I needed to be—for auditions, meetings, all of that,” she said.
During the extended struggle, Chenneour was threatened with stabbing twice and had to kick the attacker in the chest.
She said: “I think I made a split-second, calculated decision. I was at the back of a café, with visible CCTV. I figured the chance of being stabbed in that moment was probably low. So I just stood up for myself.”
When Nigel questioned whether her actions were brave or foolish, Chenneour laughed and replied: “Probably both.”
When the GB News host referenced a recent poll showing 57 per cent of women were concerned about their safety walking around London at night, Chenneour questioned the figure.
“Honestly, 57 per cent sounds low. Every single woman I know deals with anxiety when walking alone in London,” she responded.
Nigel described this as “terrible news for the capital—especially for a city that’s meant to thrive on culture and creativity”.
Chenneour agreed, saying: “It’s meant to be this incredible place. But the fact that people like me, and many other women, don’t feel safe says a lot.”
After the incident in February, a police officer stressed that everyone should be aware of potential thieves in the city’s popular spots, with mobile phone theft on the rise.
Former Chief Superintendent Parm Sandu said: “Genevieve was very brave and I commend her for that but I would not recommend anybody, anybody fights back.
“It just isn’t worth it. You don’t know what these people are carrying.”