Paul Whitehouse, the 68-year-old star of BBC's Gone Fishing, was the victim of a mugging attempt in London. He was attacked while running an errand to fetch medicine for his wife, Dr Mine Conkbayir, who had suffered a "bad reaction" to some treatment.
Dr Mine took to Instagram to describe the incident, which occurred on Essex Road in Islington at the cashpoint beside the Sainsbury's Local. She wrote: "Well, a horrid start to the weekend would be an understatement. Yesterday, I had a bad reaction to some treatment, which has left me feeling rather rotten. So last night, Paul dashed out to get me some meds. He was mugged on Essex Road (Islington) at the cashpoint beside the Sainsbury's Local."
Fought Back and Retrieved Card
According to Dr Mine, Whitehouse fought back during the attack. She wrote: "He did fight back and retrieved his card, with the perp scuttling away empty-handed. But that's not the point, is it? I kept shtum, out of respect, but he just came over, having taken our daughter to football, still frustrated. I asked whether he'd like me to post - he said yes - in the hope that it might help folk to be more aware when out and about."
She concluded her post with a warning: "So please, everyone - I don't mean to patronise, but please be super vigilant out there."
Support and Reaction
Whitehouse received an outpouring of support on social media. One commenter wrote: "Oh my, well done for fighting back - such a shock to the system. Take care." Another said: "Sorry to hear this, that's horrible. Wishing you both all the best." A third added: "Hope Paul's okay? Send him my regards and thoughts with you both, hope you're feeling better."
Dr Mine, who married Whitehouse in 2019, replied to one commenter with an update on her husband, writing: "He's just p****d off. Nobody helped. Still, he's okay. We just wanted to make folk aware."
She also said Whitehouse is "considering" reporting the incident to the police, and shared her own experience: "It happened to me a couple of years ago. Not one person helped, even when I asked. It wasn't even 10am!"
