Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour has said 'almost every woman feels on edge in London' after she was forced to move out of the capital when her phone was stolen in a café. The 27-year-old, who plays Clara Livingston in the Netflix series, was buying coffee at a Joe and the Juice branch in Kensington on February 8 when 18-year-old Zacariah Boulares snatched her iPhone 14.
Ms Chenneour told LBC Radio: 'Almost every woman I've met feels on edge in London, yeah, walking around. The level of anxiety for me, putting myself in public spaces now, is pretty awful. I have left London. I don't feel comfortable living in London at the moment.' She added that she has moved back in with her mother for the first time since she was 15.
The actress described how her ex-partner, Carlo Kurcishi, detained Boulares after he grabbed the phone. She said she 'blacked out' during the incident and experienced dissociation when viewing CCTV footage, later realising she had used her own phone as a weapon to defend herself. 'When I saw the picture of him with the machete, it really hit home that stabbing threat was not a joke. I am lucky,' she said.
Ms Chenneour said she now suffers flashbacks and 'intense anxiety', flinching when people walk close to her in public. Her dog is also affected, she said: 'Now tries to bite anyone who touches me, which is quite a problem.' She said she stays in hotels when working in London, avoids public transport, and is considering therapy. 'All of this has had a profound impact on my quality of life - emotionally, practically, and professionally,' she added.
On Tuesday, Judge Martin Edmunds KC, the Recorder of Kensington and Chelsea, sentenced Boulares to 22 months in prison for common assault and three counts of theft. The judge said Boulares had targeted wealthy areas for 'rich pickings' in a 'systematic pattern of stealing from people as they are enjoying a meal or refreshment at a restaurant'. Court footage showed Boulares lurking behind Ms Chenneour before grabbing her phone, with prosecutor Alex Cullen stating that Mr Kurcishi detained him on the café floor.
