Comedian Paul Whitehouse reportedly fought off a cashpoint mugger, prompting his wife to urge the public to remain “super vigilant out there”.
The 68-year-old The Fast Show actor was withdrawing money outside Sainsbury’s on Essex Road, Islington, north London, when a man allegedly tried to take his bank card, according to his wife, Dr Mine Conkbayir.
Whitehouse had been collecting medication for Dr Conkbayir after she experienced “a bad reaction to some treatment” and was left “feeling rather rotten”.
“He did fight back and retrieved his card, with the perp scuttling away empty-handed. But that’s not the point, is it?” said Dr Conkbayir, an ADHD advocate. “So, please, everyone — I don’t mean to patronise, but please be super vigilant out there.”
The alleged incident involving Whitehouse comes amid wider concerns about crime in London, with figures indicating that offences in the capital have risen since Sir Sadiq Khan became mayor.
Last year, Algerian national Mourad Aid was sentenced to two years and four months in prison after stealing a suitcase belonging to Brittny, the wife of former Formula One driver Jenson Button. The luggage contained luxury goods and jewellery valued at £250,000.
Aid, 41, took the Goyard carry-on on February 13, 2025, as the couple returned from a Valentine’s trip to Paris. The case contained jewellery from Brittny Button’s wedding and family heirlooms intended to be passed on to her daughter.
That same year, Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chennour reportedly had her phone stolen at a Joe & The Juice outlet on High Street Kensington by Algerian thief Zacariah Boulares.
CCTV obtained by Our News Outlet appeared to show the actress confronting Boulares. The report also linked him to an incident 18 months earlier in which he allegedly threatened to behead singer Aled Jones with a machete while stealing his £17,000 Rolex.
Our News Outlet has contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment.
Paul Whitehouse reportedly fought off a cashpoint mugger on Essex Road in Islington while collecting medication for his wife
His wife, Dr Mine Conkbayir, pictured with Whitehouse this week, urged the public to remain “super vigilant out there”
Whitehouse and Dr Conkbayir have been together for more than 20 years. They first met while she was working at a health food shop in Islington and studying for her degree.
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The couple married in 2019 and have a daughter, Delilah. However, they choose to live near each other in north London rather than share the same home.
In an earlier interview with Our News Outlet, Dr Conkbayir described their relationship as one that developed gradually. She said Whitehouse had initially been “scared because of the age gap and his celebrity status”.
“I guess he had to ask himself what I really wanted,” she said.
Dr Conkbayir has also spoken about a troubled childhood with her father, who was a drug dealer, threatened to stab her mother and openly used cocaine in front of the family.
Despite those early experiences, she went on to establish an academic career in neuroscience, focusing in particular on brain development in babies and young children.
She holds a PhD in early childhood education and neuroscience and has written a book explaining how patterns of brain development during a child’s first three years can influence adult life.
Dr Conkbayir is a lecturer, award-winning author and trainer. She also holds an MBE for services to childcare and runs her own consultancy firm.
She also hosts a podcast series alongside her husband called ‘I’m ADHD! No You’re Not’ which has featured a slew of celebrity guests including Stephen Fry, comedian Nish Kumar and actor Simon Pegg.
Both she and Whitehouse have campaigned for meaningful support and accessible services for families with neurodivergent children.
Last week, they appeared on BBC Breakfast discussing their view on the independent Fonagy Review into ADHD and Autism.
‘We welcome the report’s calls for tighter regulation of private clinics and a shift towards a needs-led system; we need action,’ she wrote.
‘The government has promised a response strategy by the end of the year, but families cannot afford to wait any longer.’
