Genevieve Chenneour: Bridgerton actress speaks of phone theft trauma
Chenneour had been meeting her ex-boyfriend at Joe & The Juice on Kensington High Street when her phone was taken from a table.A confrontation quickly escalated into what she described as a "full-on fight between four people for about five minutes".
"I was just facing forward at the back of a café, so there shouldn't really have been anything going on behind me," Chenneour told BBC News."I thought it was a moment to kind of relax. I put my phone down next to me, and the next thing I knew... it felt like a darkness came over me."Chennoeur said she sensed something was wrong before realising her phone was missing. When she turned, she saw a man in a black hoodie standing directly in front of her.
'Something hit me'
Chenneour said she "very quickly asked for my phone back" but Boulares refused."Luckily, I had my ex there. So I made the first move of grabbing him to get the phone and then I pushed him by his chest or neck to create some distance," she said.Chenneour and her ex-boyfriend tried to stop the man from fleeing, but the situation intensified when another man entered the cafe."They threatened stabbing me. It escalated. I didn't know what to do because if you get off them and you're fighting, is that an opportunity for them to stab you?"She said she briefly blacked out during the confrontation."It went black. I don't know what hit me, but something hit me. Then it carried on and I ended up on his back with my arm around his neck," she recounted.Someone shouted that the police had arrived and that the doors had been locked.Chenneour said she then let go, hoping officers would take charge. But the claim that they had arrived was false and the suspect ran off.Repeat offender Boulares, 18, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on 1 July.A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers investigated a 19-year-old man following the incident at Joe & The Juice but no further action was taken again him.
'Like a fever dream'
Chenneour said not knowing the identity of the second man continued to frighten her."I can't understand why someone's walking around who has threatened to stab me," she said."That just shouldn't be the case. I feel like I deserve to know that person's name."How can you threaten to stab someone and be walking around knowing that the guy you did that with is in prison?"She also said she had no prior knowledge that the CCTV footage would be released, and did not consent to its circulation."I woke up to this viral video of me defending myself. I blacked out so I didn't know that I'd done that. Watching that video was just the most bizarre experience. It was like a fever dream."
The psychological impact of the attack, she told the BBC, was severe and long-lasting.Chenneour said she had become "severely agoraphobic"."I didn't want to leave the house. And then if I did leave the house, I wanted to be with someone," she explained."But I felt like a burden. That's a really dark downward spiral that you can find yourself in."She has since left London altogether and now stays in hotels when returning for work."I no longer feel safe calling west London home as a single woman," she said. "I could not be here. And just because of a phone."I've avoided public transport, changed my routines, and I'm currently exploring therapy options."She praised the café's staff, especially the women who called police and supported her. She also expressed appreciation for the officers who responded on the day - but criticised the lack of long-term support from the Met Police.Chenneour said there was "no co-ordinated aftercare" and she was "left to survive the aftermath myself"."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.
'Relentlessly pursuing gangs'
Asked what message she would give to those carrying out attacks like the one she experienced, she said: "You have no idea what people are dealing with when you rob them, threaten them, hurt them."You don't need to hurt people to get where you want to in life. There's a better choice."The Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers were "relentlessly pursuing criminal gangs intent on committing robbery and phone theft".They added: "We have increased patrols in hotspot areas to identify and deter perpetrators."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
27 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Armed police arrest gardener over his arsenal of allotment tools
Armed police arrested a gardener for 'carrying a knife' as he walked home with his allotment tools. Samuel Rowe, 35, was detained, kept in a cell and cautioned after being accused of carrying a ' large dagger ' last month. He had just tended to his allotment vegetable patch and was trimming the hedges outside his home with a sickle when armed police swooped on July 3. His Japanese gardening trowel, a sickle and a fruit harvesting tool were confiscated before he was taken to a police station. He was then held in a cell for more than seven hours before he was released when he accepted a caution for possession of an offensive weapon. The theatre manager said he was left terrified when officers armed with guns turned up outside his home and now wants the caution overturned. 'Some kind of extremist' Mr Rowe, of Manchester, said: 'I was coming back from my allotment in the morning. 'I'd just got home and started trimming the hedge at the top of my house, and then I heard shouting and it was armed police – two armed police telling me to 'drop the knife.' 'At the time I had my Japanese gardening sickle in my hand that I was using, so I dropped that along with the privet I'd been cutting. 'Then they turned me around, pushed me up against the house, handcuffed me behind my back, took everything out my belt. 'Then they asked me why I was there and where I'd been. 'Eventually they put me in the back of their van and took me to Cheadle Hulme police station, which is miles from my house. 'They got into their head I was some kind of extremist going out with knives.' Conflicting accounts He said he was then kept in cells and asked if he wanted a solicitor, but he never got to see one. At interview, he says police asked him bizarre questions such as what an allotment was. He has been growing fruit and veg – including rhubarb, broad beans, artichokes, and tomatoes, at his allotment since 2022. Now, he is worried that the police caution he accepted will appear on background checks if he applies for future job interviews. Greater Manchester Police said firearms officers were sent as they were the closest to the scene after they were alerted by a member of the public. The force denies Samuel was ever refused legal advice, saying it tried multiple times to contact a solicitor and he chose to decline legal advice in the end. A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: 'At around 12.20pm on 3 July, we acted on a call from a member of the public that a man was walking in public wearing khaki clothing and in possession of a knife. 'Nearby officers were flagged down by the caller, who directed them towards a male. 'He was subsequently stopped and a small sickle, a large dagger which was in a sheath on a belt, and a peeling knife, were seized. 'He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and taken into custody. 'He admitted the offence and was given a conditional caution, which entailed advice and guidance around the legislation of knives and bladed weapons in a public place.'
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Elizabeth Hurley gazes adoringly at Billy Ray Cyrus as couple put on a loved-up display at The Inheritance premiere in London
gazed adoringly at her boyfriend Billy Ray Cyrus as trhey attended the premiere of her new Channel 4 show The Inheritance in London on Wednesday. The actress, 60, put on a loved-up display with the country singer, 63, as they held hands and posed together at the event. Elizabeth turned heads in a red figure-hugging midi dress with a cut out detail along the chest. The Bedazzled star added height to her frame with a pair of gold heels and complimented her look with matching earrings. Billy Ray opted for a black short-sleeved shirt along with a matching pair of trousers and black shoes. Also in attendance at the event was Rob Rinder who looked dapper in a dark brown suit and beige striped tie. The Inheritance sees twelve strangers arrive at a grand English country estate, lured by the irresistible opportunity to inherit a chunk of a vast fortune. The fortune belonged to a glamorous benefactor known only as 'The Deceased', (played by Elizabeth) who has left video messages for the players from beyond the grave. To release money from 'The Inheritance', the players must work as a team to complete a series of challenges – and in similar vein to The Traitors; the better they perform, the more money is released, and the bigger the prize pot. But The Deceased had one condition: to win the game they must persuade all others that only they should be entrusted with the money. The event comes after Billy Ray continued to enjoy his first UK summer at Elizabeth's £6m country pile on Wednesday. The pair's relationship began following his divorce from Firerose - and his third marriage. He had met Elizabeth on set of the 2022 movie Christmas In Paradise and as he was navigating through the split, he received a message from Liz. 'I felt like, "Wow, can life get any harder? Can it get any tougher?" For me, at a certain point it was like, you can't get knocked down any flatter than laying on your back when life is kicking you. And in this moment... a friend reached out.' Billy then tried to recall the contents of the message and explained she had said, 'Hey, it looks like life might be a little bit tough and just wanted you to know I'm in your corner; you've got a friend in your corner.' When he first received the text, the performer revealed that at first he didn't know who the message was from. 'So, I text back, I go, "Who is this?" And it's like, "Elizabeth Hurley." Of all the people to reach out to me in that second that maybe I needed most… this friend who made me laugh.' He later gushed that the actress is 'a great human being' and also 'impressively brilliant.' 'She reminds me a lot of Dolly Parton. She's a very smart businesswoman. If you can laugh together, you can make it through everything.' The star also reflected on how he has also gotten close to his girlfriend's son Damian as well. 'It's great that God brought them into my life when he did. It's just a good thing. It's been a long time since I've been this happy.' Miley's mum Tish Cyrus was previously married to Billy from 1993 until their divorce was finalized in 2023. Billy shares daughter Miley as well as Noah, 25, and Braison, 31, with Tish. He also became stepfather to her other two children from a previous relationship: Brandi, 38, and Trace, 36. He is also dad to son Christopher, 33, whom he welcomed with ex Kristen Luckey. Elizabeth lives in her £6million 13-bedroom estate in Herefordshire with son Damian, who she welcomed with the late Steve Bing. The sprawling Georgian estate, which is Elizabeth's main home, also boasts five bathrooms and its own lake. She has owned Donnington Hall since 2012 that she bought with her then-fiance, Shane Warne who passed away in March 2022.
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
I looked older at 26 than I do now as I loved tanning my face so much – a 20p secret banished my forehead wrinkles
A WOMAN has shared the secret she swears by to reverse ageing. Laura Elle took to social media to share her before and after pictures and people were left stunned by the results. 2 2 She revealed that by the age of 26, she already had deep lines on her forehead due to tanning and not looking after her skin. In the clip, Laura said: "Tans face every day with no sunscreen ever. She also said she rarely took her makeup off, and if she did, she just used wipes. Laura also said she never used skincare and relied on the sun to sort her skin out. But the results of that were clear to see in the before image. Laura's skin looked severely dehydrated and she had texture on her skin as well. Her forehead was also covered in deep wrinkles and her undereyes and jowl were also showing clear signs of ageing. But three years on, Laura looked like a totally different person and had managed to reverse the ageing process. Her skin was now glowing and her wrinkles were nowhere to be seen, and she said it wasn't down to Botox or filler. Now 29, she revealed the changes she made to improve her skin which of course included not tanning on sunbeds anymore. I found the best summer body glow in Primark - it's only £3.50 & isn't oily She also said she was consistent with her skincare routine, using sunscreen twice a day. She also used products with collagen and retinol to increase skin cell reproduction. But to get rid of her forehead lines, Laura swore by Frownies, which work by limiting face movement and smoothing out wrinkles. A pack of 144 cost £28.95, meaning each patch costs just 20p. Laura recommends applying them at night after applying your skincare. The clip went viral on her TikTok account @ lauraelle111 with over 300k views and people were quick to comment on her transformation. One person wrote: "You are beautiful - I'm off to order some frownies (you need commission) lol." Another commented: "Frownies have been added to cart because I've had forehead wrinkles since I was 17." "You definitely aged backwards," penned a third. Meanwhile a fourth said: "We gained a baddie, let go of the tanning beds people!"
