Sir Idris Elba's wife, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, has publicly condemned a "racist" encounter with a "hostile" woman who backed into her parked car in London. The Canadian model, who married the actor in 2019, recounted the incident in a TikTok video, stating that the driver "immediately" and repeatedly asked where she was from, making her feel as though she did not "belong."
The Incident
The 36-year-old explained that the woman attempted to drive away after hitting her car. Sabrina described the "upsetting" experience as emblematic of how "people feel increasingly comfortable treating black and brown people as conditional citizens."
"Something happened a couple days ago that is just not sitting right with me," Sabrina said in the TikTok video. "And I don't usually come online when I'm still sort of like flustered or upset. But this woman backed up into my parked car and when I got out to speak to her about the interaction it immediately became hostile."
Questioning Belonging
Sabrina elaborated: "She very quickly asked me, 'Where are you from?' – keep in mind this woman backed up into my parked car – and I said, 'Canadian,' and then she asked again. And I think a lot of people know what that question means when they're asked in a tone."
The model, who has lived with Idris in London for the entirety of their nine-year relationship, continued: "She wasn't asking for my biography, she was trying to change the terms of the interaction. Suddenly it wasn't about the fact that she had hit my car. It was about whether or not I belonged enough to like hold her accountable."
"And this is the part that really bothered me and the part I felt like I needed to speak about because racism isn't always theatrical. Sometimes it works by redirecting conversations because you ask for accountability and suddenly my presence became the issue," she added.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
