Bridgerton actress who fought off phone thief reveals she 'hit rock bottom' and had a concussion after attacker threatened to stab her in 'life or death' brawl

Daily Mail​

3 hours ago

Genevieve Chenneour has revealed she 'hit rock bottom' after she fought off a phone thief in a 'life or death' brawl.
The Bridgerton star, 27, bravely defended herself after Zacariah Boulares, 18, snuck up behind her and grabbed her phone in Joe & The Juice on Kensington High Street, west London, on February 8.
The actress is known as rumour-monger Clara Livingston inNetflix period drama Bridgerton.
Genevieve has now revealed the difficult time she went through after the attack which also saw her split from her boyfriend of three years.
Speaking to The Times, she said: 'After the phone incident and the break-up I just hit rock bottom. Maybe this all has to happen so I can start afresh.
'It's been a major shock for me — and terrifying — but now I can prioritise my career, myself and my friends.'
The incident has had a significant impact on Genevieve's life. She has reloacted out of west London where she had been living for seven years and she is fearful of going places alone.
'My doctor later confirmed I had a concussion. I had dizzy spells for weeks afterwards and I was terrified of going out alone. I still am,' she said.
The actress said, like most women, she is 'hypervigilant' around men in public spaces but it is now even worse and she doesn't plan on attending any festivals this summer for fear of being around large groups of men 'in minimal clothing'.
Around 18 months before the attack on Genevieve, Boulares threatened to behead Aled Jones with a machete as he stole his £17,000 Rolex in Chiswick, west London.
The thief, then 16, was locked up for his attack on the Welsh singer in October 2023.
But he was released from youth detention early after serving just 14 months of his 24-month sentence.
Boulares, who can now be named and pictured after turning 18, has gone on to commit a spate of crimes, including robbing Genevieve.
The incident has had a significant impact on Genevieve's life. She has reloacted out of west London where she had been living for seven years and she is fearful of going places alone
The thug's extensive criminal history - 12 previous convictions relating to 28 offences - was laid bare after he pleaded guilty on May 29 to stealing her phone and assaulting another customer, Carlo Kurcishi.
'He needs to go to prison and he needs psychological care,' Genevieve said. 'If criminals are not rehabilitated properly they'll likely commit more — maybe worse — crimes.'
Appearing on This Morning, Genevieve the whole incident lasted around five minutes in total, with her pinning her attacker to the floor for much of that time.
She said: '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.'
Genevieve has since spoken to other victims of phone theft, who have told her they felt the same anxiety as her after their experience.
'It opened up so many conversations with people that I know and don't know and I've been really made aware of how many people are living with that anxiety', she explained.
'Men that have had their phone stolen and women. I can only talk from a woman's perspective but I do know that men are dealing with that same level of anxiety.'
With mobile phone theft in general on the rise, former Chief Superintendent Parm Sandu joined Genevieve on the sofa to advise people how to react if they find themselves victims of a similar crime.
'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', she said.
Parm continued: 'You don't know what these people are carrying.
They could have a knife, they could have a syringe, they could have any other weapon that they can use on you.
'And if you are the person who's standing between them and their freedom, they are going to kick, punch, use anything that's around them to try and escape and evade that capture.'
The former officer explained it is not just the physical handset at stake in a phone theft - but all your banking and identity data that might be stored on it too.
She gave viewers some tips, first recommending a mobile phone case with a strap on: 'If you've got a strap around your wrist as well, it's harder for them to snatch it and run.'
Every device, Parm explained, has an IMEI number, a unique serial number.
She advised people to find out what their number is and make a record of it in case of a theft for easier tracking of the device by police.
'If your phone is taken, report it straightway to your service provider', she advised, as well as contacting your bank.
'And if you can get onto a laptop and you've got Find My Phone, you can deactivate your phone, you can erase your personal data straight away.'
Reporting it to police is always advisable too, as it notifies them - and the public - the area is a hotspot for crime, leading them to allocate resources there: 'It will create a reaction from the local police.'