Bridgerton actress who fought off phone thief reveals attack has left her 'severely agoraphobic' and unable to leave her home

Daily Mail​

7 hours ago

The Bridgerton actress who was targeted by a mobile phone snatcher at a west London cafe has revealed the attack has left her 'severely agoraphobic'.
Genevieve Chenneour, 27, bravely fought off prolific Algerian thief Zacariah Boulares, 18, at Joe & The Juice on Kensington High Street in which she 'blacked out' and a second man threatened to stab her.
Boulares was last month locked up for 22 months for three counts of theft and common assault in a daylight attack on February 8 that left the actress concussed.
Scotland Yard officers also investigated a 19-year-old man but took no further action against him, the BBC reported.
Ms Chenneour, a former Olympic swimmer, has since left London and moved back in with her mother as she no longer feels safe in the capital.
Now, six months on, Ms Chenneour has revealed the psychological trauma has been long-lasting, with her unable to leave the house.
'And then if I did leave the house, I wanted to be with someone. But I felt like a burden.
'That's a really dark downward spiral that you can find yourself in,' she told the BBC.
She also changed her daily routine, avoided using public transport, and stayed in hotels when working in London.
She is now 'exploring therapy options'.
'I've spoken to people who've done the exact same thing after something similar happened. This affects every part of your life,' she said.
Ms Chenneour also criticised the Metropolitan Police for there being 'no co-ordinated aftercare' as she added: '[I] was left to survive the aftermath by myself.'
She recounted her terrifying ordeal to the broadcaster, which she said felt like 'a darkness came over me' when she sensed something was wrong.
Ms Chenneour's brave actions were caught on CCTV and the actress can be seen courageously fighting back against the hooded thief.
She courageously dragged him to the floor with the help of her boyfriend at the time, Carlo Kureishi, 30, the son of the writer Hanif Kureishi.
Boulares can be seen in the footage prowling around the back of the café, waiting for Ms Chenneour's friend to leave her alone at the table when he ordered before he pounces.
She courageously stood up to the thief, hitting him with the phone as he tussled with a man on the floor during the ordeal
The hooded thief, wearing all black with a navy cap, then swipes the phone while Ms Chenneour has her back turned, but she quickly leaps into action and takes down the thief.
The fearless Yorkshire-born actress, who is also a trained boxer, puts her arm out to block the thief from leaving and dislodges the phone from his hand.
Retrieving the iPhone from off the floor, she then uses the device to strike Boulares who is left helpless on the floor.
The commotion continued as shocked onlookers began to form a crowd in the popular café in Kensington.
The tussle can then be seen spilling into the back of the café, where Ms Chenneour, her friend and Boulares can only be seen in CCTV in glimpses via a mirror.
After around four minutes of scuffling, the humbled crook then points his finger in the face of Ms Chenneour's friend before walking out of the café without the phone.
The British actress is known as rumour-monger Clara Livingston in Netflix period drama Bridgerton.
She told This Morning last month she has 'a lot of anxiety' following the attack.
'I left London because I am single and the level of anxiety of going to public spaces was just not really sustainable,' she said.
'I decided to take some time out of the city and come back and forwards for work.'
Back in June the star appeared on the ITV show to talk about the ordeal.
Genevieve explained: 'It kind of went round the corner and it turned into a full-on scrap with two people [Boulares and his accomplice].
'And I was threatened with being stabbed so it became a real matter, in my mind, of life and death.
'So, I did things like, I remember kicking him back with my leg to create space in case he had a weapon on him… It was just a life-changing, crazy moment.'
The star admitted the horrifying experience left her terrified in the immediate aftermath: 'I didn't want to go outside.
'I mean as a woman we already, I think, have our wits about us around strangers and random men.
'So, to have this happen to me while dealing with that base level that a lot of women have, just made me quite agoraphobic. Leaving the house was really hard.'