Reality TV personality Henry Southan has shared a bizarre and unsettling account of being targeted by a thief while upgrading his mobile phone in a high street store.
Masked Raid During Phone Upgrade
The 27-year-old Big Brother star took to his Instagram Stories to explain that the incident occurred on 7 January 2026. He had been in an O2 shop "all day" finalising the transfer of data to a new device when a masked man entered the premises.
"This masked man came into the shop and grabbed the empty box that my new phone was in and he ran out," Southan recounted via a video message to his followers. The thief, therefore, made off with nothing of value, leaving the phone itself safely in Southan's possession.
Second-Hand Embarrassment for a 'S*** Thief'
Henry Southan's primary reaction was one of pity for the incompetent criminal. "I felt such second-hand embarrassment for him," he said. "Imagine, he's just gonna see it's an empty box, what a s**t thief he is."
He added that an accomplice present in the store immediately called the masked man an "idiot". Southan concluded the tale by saying the bungled attempt gave him "the ick", quipping: "babe you could have pulled that off a bit better couldn't you."
A Growing Trend of Celebrity Phone Thefts
This incident is not isolated and reflects a worrying trend of phone thefts targeting well-known figures. Just months earlier, in February 2025, Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour was attacked while walking her dog in London.
Chenneour and her boyfriend managed to wrestle the thief to the ground before he could escape with her phone. The experience had a profound impact, leading her to move out of the capital. She told LBC: "I don't feel comfortable living in London at the moment... The level of anxiety putting myself even in a public space now is pretty awful."
Furthermore, award-winning actress Rosamund Pike recalled her own violent mugging for a mobile phone back in 2006. Appearing on Magic Radio, the Pride & Prejudice star described "15 minutes of hell" after being punched in the face during the theft, which occurred while she was on a call to her mother.
These consecutive reports from the worlds of reality TV, period drama, and film highlight a persistent issue of street crime impacting public figures and citizens alike, raising significant concerns about safety in urban centres.
