Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour has revealed how a man who attacked her in the middle of London had ‘locked onto her’ with intent just moments beforehand, leaving her shaken up and tearful.
The former Team GB swimmer turned actress has told the Daily Mail how a man described as being in his 50s, black and 6ft 3in struck her with ‘full force’ as she travelled to an audition near Oxford Circus a week ago.
Genevieve, 27, says her attacker continued to walk on, not even responding as she swore at him in a fit of pain in the moments after the attack. She shared a video of herself in tears on Instagram in the minutes after it happened.
It is the second time she has been attacked by a stranger in London in less than a year. Would-be mugger Zacariah Boulares tried to snatch her mobile phone at a Kensington coffee shop in February, leaving her with a concussion.
After planning to return to the city following the attack earlier this year, Genevieve says she has once again reconsidered – because the city is not safe.
She told the Daily Mail this week: ‘I was preparing to move back into town as I have to be here for work. I don’t think I will now.’
The actress, known for playing Clara Livingston in the Netflix period drama, was travelling close to Oxford Circus on Thursday for an audition when she says the man walked directly towards her.
He had, she said, ‘an intention to hurt or intimidate me’.
Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour has told the Daily Mail that a man who attacked her in Oxford Circus last week ‘locked on’ seconds beforehand
The former Team GB swimmer is known for her role as Clara Livingston in Netflix’s Bridgerton
The incident came months after Genevieve had been targeted by a prolific mugger who tried to steal her phone at a cafe in Kensington
‘I noticed him looking at me from a short distance away, and something in his expression made me uneasy – it felt like he had locked onto me,’ she said.
‘I tried to move out of his path but couldn’t; there simply wasn’t space to step aside. When he reached me, he walked straight into me at full force, using his arm rigidly – bracing to make impact.’
The man struck her with the full force of his arm and body – and then kept walking as if nothing had happened.
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The actress admits her temper got the better of her as she winced from the pain – but it failed to get a reaction from anyone: not her attacker, nor the busy legions of tourists and shoppers who pack out the West End’s high streets every day.
Genevieve continued: ‘It was completely deliberate. I shouted “you f****** c***” instinctively and immediately looked around to see if anyone had witnessed it.
‘He walked off without looking back at pace. Not even reacting to my shouting.
‘I asked a woman nearby if she’d seen what happened. She didn’t engage – she just asked “are you okay?” as a formality.
‘I was shaken and shocked afterwards. With the man not reacting and no witness it felt like I had imagined the whole thing. I was so shocked, and confused, and scared.’
The incident triggered a panic attack, with echoes of the incident in February as she tried to wrench her phone back from her vicious teenage attacker.
As she struggled to comprehend the incident, Genevieve phoned a friend who works in private security who helped her calm down before heading to her audition.
Once safe, she recorded a video for Instagram, still in her jacket and scarf, her eyes red from crying, warning women: ‘Ladies, please be careful.’
The star recorded a tearful Instagram video (above) just minutes after the attack, urging women to be careful in London
Zacariah Boulares is serving a 22-month prison sentence for a number of thefts, including for his attack on Genevieve
The incident came months after Boulares, a prolific teenage thief with a string of convictions, had tried to steal her phone at a Joe and the Juice coffee shop in Kensington High Street.
As she challenged Boulares, another man – his accomplice – entered the cafe and threatened to stab her.
While Boulares, a prolific thief with a string of convictions to his name, is serving a 22-month sentence, the man who left her fearing for her life remains at large.
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‘The man that threatened to stab me multiple times is still walking free and the police won’t even give me his name,’ she said. ‘I have had no support – nothing.’
The Metropolitan Police has previously said officers investigated a 19-year-old man following the Kensington incident but no further action was taken.
February’s incident had left her agoraphobic, and for months she has been steeling herself to move back to London after moving back home with her mother.
Friends of the actress have previously said she has worked hard to rebuild her confidence after the February assault.
However, last week’s incident has given her pause for thought.
‘My furniture is all in storage while I figure out where to live,’ she said. ‘My entire life has changed.’
Genevieve is a qualified Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) boxer and has an extensive sporting background.
She fought off the thief because of her boxing experience, but she did advise the public not to do the same.
She told Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard on This Morning at the time: ‘I don’t know if I would advise anybody else to do it.
‘I think I have very quick reactions, thanks to having three brothers growing up and I’m an aviated carded boxer. I think it just was an instinct, I also do a lot of fight training for work and acting…
‘I thought that was a normal reaction and I read all the comments [online] and realised, actually, a lot of people would just let them take the phone.’
