Kirsty Gallacher’s partner has expressed his fury over an assault on the TV personality in central London, directing his criticism at Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Darren Clayton took to Instagram to share his frustration following the incident, urging both the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police to reflect on their responsibilities and actions.

The 39-year-old praised Gallacher for her bravery, stating, “I’m immensely proud of my remarkable partner for her courage in standing up for what’s right.”

He issued a stark warning to the perpetrator, saying, “To the coward who dared to harm her, I wish you luck because you’ve tangled with the wrong person. Your time is running out.”

In his message, Clayton directed a pointed remark at city officials, urging, “@Mayorofldn and @metpolice_uk, it’s time to critically assess your roles and responses.”

He concluded his post with a tribute to Gallacher, quoting, “Sometimes an angel, sometimes a hell-raiser, always a strong woman.”

The pair, who have been dating for almost a year and a half, gushed last month about their blended family and their hopes for getting engaged soon. 

Clayton’s comments were echoed by many of Gallacher’s celebrity friends, including Paddy McGuinness, Kate Garraway, and Ben Shepherd, who have rallied around her following the horrifying incident. 

The former Sky Sports News presenter revealed she was ‘kicked like a football’ during the unprovoked attack while walking back to her car.

Fighting back tears in a video posted to Instagram, she described how she was assaulted by a man ‘all in black, covered up’ on Tuesday evening at around 7pm. 

‘Last night I was physically assaulted in the streets of central London walking from work to my car, the walk I do most nights,’ Gallacher said. ‘The streets are well lit. There were people around.

‘I was walking on the pavement, and I noticed this guy, all in black, covered up, actually, just walking at me. And I’m always vigilant. And he was just walking towards me, and so I moved out of the way, and then he brushed past me.

‘He turned around, and he kicked me like he was kicking a football. He kicked me in the middle of a street at about seven o’clock last night, in front of people, and I turned around and he scarpered.’

Gallacher added that she was ‘still shocked’ by the assault and showed bruises as evidence. 

The 39-year-old wrote: ‘I’m incredible proud of my wonderful lady for standing up for what is right’

The TV star, 49, and former rugby player, 39, have been together for around a year and a half after meeting through their two mutual friends

Darren Clayton (left) took to Instagram to voice his anger over the attack, slamming London’s authorities and Mayor Sadiq Khan

In a new post today Kirsty, thanked her friends and followers for their ‘love and support’

‘I can’t quite believe what happened. I was not being provocative in any way. I was just going about my business as you do. I was just walking to my car to go back home to my family.’

The broadcaster went on to say she was ‘hugely disappointed’ by the inaction of a nearby security guard, describing him as ‘absolutely useless.’  She did, however, thank a woman who came to her aid.

‘I luckily had some witnesses, some lovely girls saw it and came to my aid,’ she explained. 

‘There was a security guard on a door nearby who was absolutely useless and didn’t do anything, which was hugely disappointing… I just couldn’t actually believe that someone, a stranger, has just decided, for whatever reason, whether he’s got a problem with women, whether he’s just an opportunist, he decided he did not like me, and he just thought, now, give you the boot. And that is not okay.’

In a new post today Kirsty, thanked her friends and followers for their ‘love and support’. 

She wrote on Instagram: ‘Just a quick note to say a huge thank you for all your love and support, it means the world to me and clearly most of you agree that something needs to change. 

‘I spoke about this incident to raise awareness. This sort of behaviour is not OK. There needs to be a stronger police presence on the streets of London, especially at night, there was no on there for me. Thankfully it was not a more serious assault.’ 

Commenting on the shocking post Paddy McGuinness wrote: ‘Hope you’re okay my love?’

Other celebrity pals followed suit with Kate Garraway commenting: ‘This awful – am so sorry – very brave in sharing such an important message but hope YOU are ok’

‘Kirsty so so sorry to hear this. Sending tons of love and support,’ Ben Shepherd added. 

Kirsty said she decided to speak out about the attack because she believes such violence is becoming commonplace in London.

Boxer Carl Froch said: ‘Disgraceful! Wish I was there, he can’t run when he’s been rendered unconscious.

‘When @antmiddleton becomes Mayor the streets of London will be much safer. Until then please be extra cautious & I hope you’re feeling better now x.’

TV presenter Lisa Snowdon also wrote in response: ‘Oh Kirsty I’m so angry and so utterly devastated that this happened to you. It’s horrific. I’m sending you a huge hug my love.’

Jenni Falconer added: ‘Kirsty, this is awful. I’m so sorry you experienced this. And not okay. Big love to you.’

London is the 15th most dangerous city for crime in Europe as concerns continue to mount over a growing epidemic of violence, theft and robbery, according to Numbeo’s Crime Index.

Kirsty said she decided to speak out about the attack because she believes such violence is becoming common place in London

The capital, which is also the 100th worst out of 385 locations around the world, is less safe than rival European cities from Athens to Brussels and Milan to Barcelona.

London is also worse than major US cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Dallas as well as other global destinations from Cancun to Cairo and Bali to Bangalore.

The city is however only the fifth worst UK location for crime – behind Bradford, Coventry, Birmingham and Manchester.

The data, which is compiled from global survey responses and has been updated regularly since 2012, ranks London particularly badly for four categories out of 15.

These are the capital’s ‘level of crime’; ‘crime increasing in the past five years’; ‘problem people using or dealing drugs’; and ‘safety walking alone during night’.

Former GB News host Kirsty said: ‘It’s really sad that that is what’s going on on the streets of London, and that is very real. And we all hear about it, don’t we all hear like, Oh yeah, you know, be careful. Don’t have your phone out.

‘And people being sadly, you know, mugged or worse, you know, awful, awful things going on, and you always think it’s not going to happen to me.

‘And that was me. I thought, I’m very vigilant. I’m very careful. I’m very careful of where, how I’m walking, and, you know, make sure that I don’t have my phone in my hand, that I have, like, a cross body bag, and I’m not holding anything out, but actually, I couldn’t have done more to protect myself. And still that happened to me.

‘Someone decided to just give me a good kicking in the street, and I really wanted to share it with you, because this is happening all the time, and it’s not good, and it’s not all right, and I want you to really be careful and vigilant and look after yourselves and look after those around you.

‘And I’m very grateful to those lovely girls. Hopefully they’ll see this, they might see this, but thank you, because you’re amazing.

‘Because I didn’t know what to do in that moment, I was shocked. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and I just wanted to share it, and I really just wanted to say, stay safe. You might not think it’s going to happen to you, but it could be you.’

Revealing the attack on Instagram, she said: ‘Last night I was physically assaulted in the streets of central London walking from work to my car.’

Kirsty, who has two sons named Oscar, 18, and Jude, 15, from her marriage to former rugby star Paul Sampson, was arrested for drink driving in Eton, Berkshire back in 2017. She was subsequently banned from driving for two years. She was found to be over three times the legal alcohol limit, with a reading of 106 micrograms per 100ml of breath.

Matt Goodwin, senior visiting professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, wrote in the Daily Mail in June that ‘London is over. It’s so over.’

He cited data showing that more than 70,000 phones were stolen in London last year, and there were 90,000 shoplifting offences in the capital, up 54 per cent.

Professor Goodwin added that there is now an alleged rape every hour in London – and reported sexual offences against women and girls has risen 14 per cent in five years, while homelessness and rough sleeping increased 26 per cent in one year.

Meanwhile a policing expert told the Daily Mail that London ‘crime-ridden cesspit’.

Ex-New Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley said the force was now so stretched in the West End that private security companies were being deployed to help.

He condemned the ‘epidemic of crime’ in London from pickpocketing to violence and fare evasion to robbery, adding that it was ‘driving people away’ from the capital.