The Bridgerton actress who fought off a phone thief has revealed he threatened to stab her in a ‘life or death’ brawl that left her terrified to leave the house – and live in London.
Genevieve Chenneour, 27, bravely defended herself after Zacariah Boulares, 18, snuck up behind her and grabbed her phone in Joe & The Juice on Kensington High Street, west London, on February 8.
The British actress is known as rumour-monger Clara Livingston in Netflix period drama Bridgerton.
Now, Genevieve has spoken out about her terrifying ordeal, appearing on ITV chat show This Morning to discuss it with presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley.
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Genevieve Chenneour, 27, bravely defended herself after Zacariah Boulares, 18, snuck up behind her and grabbed her phone in Joe & The Juice on Kensington High Street, west London, on February 8
MailOnline exclusively revealed yesterday CCTV footage (pictured) of the shocking attack on the rising star at the upmarket coffee shop
The British actress is known as rumour-monger Clara Livingston (pictured) in Netflix period drama Bridgerton
She told Ben, 50, and Cat, 48, the whole incident lasted around five minutes in total, with her pinning her attacker to the floor for much of that time.
Genevieve explained: ‘It kind of went round the corner and it turned into a full-on scrap with two people [Boulares and his accomplice].
‘And I was threatened with being stabbed so it became a real matter, in my mind, of life and death.
‘So, I did things like, I remember kicking him back with my leg to create space in case he had a weapon on him… It was just a life-changing, crazy moment.’
The star admitted the horrifying experience left her terrified in the immediate aftermath: ‘I didn’t want to go outside.
‘I mean as a woman we already, I think, have our wits about us around strangers and random men.
‘So, to have this happen to me while dealing with that base level that a lot of women have, just made me quite agoraphobic. Leaving the house was really hard.’
It scared her to the extent that she has left her home in London, after years of living in the capital: ‘I’ve actually taken a bit of a break from London…
She told Ben, 50, and Cat, 48, the whole incident lasted around five minutes in total, with her pinning her attacker to the floor for much of that time
Genievieve explained: ‘I was threatened with being stabbed so it became a real matter, in my mind, of life and death’
The star admitted the horrifying experience left her terrified in the immediate aftermath: ‘I didn’t want to go outside’
‘I’ve been here for seven years, working, auditioning, acting, just to kind of have a bit of a reset because it really did affect my confidence.
‘Going out the first time [after the incident], I remember standing in a queue and just my hands were sweating and I was so vigilant and aware of my surroundings.
‘So yeah, just kind of trying to feel calmer.’
The clip shows her bravely confronting her attacker: ‘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.’
Around 18 months before the attack on Genevieve, Boulares threatened to behead Aled Jones with a machete as he stole his £17,000 Rolex in Chiswick, west London.
It scared her to the extent that she has left her home in London, after years of living in the capital: ‘I’ve actually taken a bit of a break from London…’
Around 18 months before the attack on Genevieve, Boulares threatened to behead Aled Jones (pictured in 2016) with a machete as he stole his £17,000 Rolex in Chiswick, west London
The thief (pictured), then 16, was locked up for his attack on the Welsh singer in October 2023
The thief, then 16, was locked up for his attack on the Welsh singer in October 2023.
But he was released from youth detention early after serving just 14 months of his 24-month sentence.
Boulares, who can now be named and pictured after turning 18, has gone on to commit a spate of crimes, including robbing Genevieve.
The thug’s extensive criminal history – 12 previous convictions relating to 28 offences – was laid bare after he pleaded guilty on May 29 to stealing her phone and assaulting another customer, Carlo Kurcishi.
Genevieve said she had been in contact with Aled to discuss their shared experiences with Boulares.
And she explained the attack on her happened in milliseconds: ‘I had a bit of a sixth sense that something wasn’t quite right, as woman you have that kind of intuition.
‘And I could feel people moving around me in a different way but I only became aware of it once the incident had happened.
‘I did feel they were going back and forth trying to find a target, so they chose me.’
She explained the attack on her happened in milliseconds: ‘I had a bit of a sixth sense that something wasn’t quite right, as woman you have that kind of intuition’
Genevieve (pictured last year) said she had been in contact with Aled to discuss their shared experiences with Boulares
Genevieve has since spoken to other victims of phone theft, who have told her they felt the same anxiety as her after their experience.
‘It opened up so many conversations with people that I know and don’t know and I’ve been really made aware of how many people are living with that anxiety’, she explained.
‘Men that have had their phone stolen and women. I can only talk from a woman’s perspective but I do know that men are dealing with that same level of anxiety.’
With mobile phone theft in general on the rise, former Chief Superintendent Parm Sandu joined Genevieve on the sofa to advise people how to react if they find themselves victims of a similar crime.
‘Genevieve was very brave and I commend her for that but I would not recommend anybody, anybody fights back. It just isn’t worth it’, she said.
Parm continued: ‘You don’t know what these people are carrying.
They could have a knife, they could have a syringe, they could have any other weapon that they can use on you.
‘And if you are the person who’s standing between them and their freedom, they are going to kick, punch, use anything that’s around them to try and escape and evade that capture.’
Genevieve said: ‘I could feel people moving around me in a different way but I only became aware of it once the incident had happened’
She added: ‘I did feel they were going back and forth trying to find a target, so they chose me’
The former officer explained it is not just the physical handset at stake in a phone theft – but all your banking and identity data that might be stored on it too.
She gave viewers some tips, first recommending a mobile phone case with a strap on: ‘If you’ve got a strap around your wrist as well, it’s harder for them to snatch it and run.’
Every device, Parm explained, has an IMEI number, a unique serial number.
She advised people to find out what their number is and make a record of it in case of a theft for easier tracking of the device by police.
‘If your phone is taken, report it straightway to your service provider’, she advised, as well as contacting your bank.
‘And if you can get onto a laptop and you’ve got Find My Phone, you can deactivate your phone, you can erase your personal data straight away.’
Reporting it to police is always advisable too, as it notifies them – and the public – the area is a hotspot for crime, leading them to allocate resources there: ‘It will create a reaction from the local police.’
This Morning is available to watch on weekdays at 10am on ITV1 and to stream on ITVX.
