Latest news with #agoraphobic
Daily Mail
05-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Bridgerton actress who fought off phone thief reveals attack has left her 'severely agoraphobic' and unable to leave her home
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.'
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bridgerton actress agoraphobic after phone attack
Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour has spoken of how she has been left "severely agoraphobic" and unable to leave home following a phone theft that turned violent in west London. The 27-year-old was attacked in a café in February after she confronted a man who had taken her phone. Speaking to the BBC for the first time about the assault, which left her concussed and traumatised, the actress said it had caused her to move out of the capital to live with her mother. "I no longer feel safe calling west London home as a single woman," she said. Last month, Zacariah Boulares, 18, was sentenced to 22 months in jail for common assault and three counts of theft. Chenneour, who played Clara Livingston in season three of Bridgerton, had been meeting her ex-boyfriend at Joe & The Juice on Kensington High Street when her phone was taken from a table. CCTV footage shows her then grabbing the thief in a bid to get her phone back, after which the altercation 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." Bridgerton actress fights back phone thief in cafe Met promises to tackle West End crime hotspots The psychological impact of the attack, she told the BBC, has been severe and long-lasting. Chenneour said she had become severely agoraphobic, adding: "I didn't want 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 said she stayed in hotels when returning to London for work. "I've avoided public transport, changed my routines, and I'm currently exploring therapy options," Chenneour added. 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." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
