Genevieve Chenneour, known for her role in “Bridgerton,” recently recounted a distressing incident in London where a man attacked her, leaving her deeply shaken and in tears. She described how the man seemed to target her deliberately just moments before the attack.
Chenneour, who transitioned from being a Team GB swimmer to an actress, shared with the Daily Mail that the assailant, a black man in his 50s standing at 6 feet 3 inches, struck her with significant force while she was en route to an audition near Oxford Circus last week.
The 27-year-old actress recounted that despite her immediate reaction, which included shouting profanities out of pain, the attacker continued on his way without acknowledging her. She later posted a tearful video on Instagram shortly after the encounter.
This incident marks the second time in under a year that Chenneour has faced an attack from a stranger in London. Earlier in February, she suffered a concussion after Zacariah Boulares attempted to steal her phone at a Kensington coffee shop.
Initially planning to relocate back to London after the earlier assault, Chenneour now finds herself reconsidering due to safety concerns.
She expressed her doubts to the Daily Mail, stating, “I was getting ready to move back into the city for work purposes. However, I don’t believe I will anymore.”
The actress, known for playing Clara Livingston in the Netflix period drama, was travelling close to Oxford Circus on Thursday for an audition when she says the man walked directly towards her.
He had, she said, ‘an intention to hurt or intimidate me’.
Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour has told the Daily Mail that a man who attacked her in Oxford Circus last week ‘locked on’ seconds beforehand
The former Team GB swimmer is known for her role as Clara Livingston in Netflix’s Bridgerton
The incident came months after Genevieve had been targeted by a prolific mugger who tried to steal her phone at a cafe in Kensington
‘I noticed him looking at me from a short distance away, and something in his expression made me uneasy – it felt like he had locked onto me,’ she said.
‘I tried to move out of his path but couldn’t; there simply wasn’t space to step aside. When he reached me, he walked straight into me at full force, using his arm rigidly – bracing to make impact.’
The man struck her with the full force of his arm and body – and then kept walking as if nothing had happened.
The actress admits her temper got the better of her as she winced from the pain – but it failed to get a reaction from anyone: not her attacker, nor the busy legions of tourists and shoppers who pack out the West End’s high streets every day.
Genevieve continued: ‘It was completely deliberate. I shouted “you f****** c***” instinctively and immediately looked around to see if anyone had witnessed it.
‘He walked off without looking back at pace. Not even reacting to my shouting.
‘I asked a woman nearby if she’d seen what happened. She didn’t engage – she just asked “are you okay?” as a formality.
‘I was shaken and shocked afterwards. With the man not reacting and no witness it felt like I had imagined the whole thing. I was so shocked, and confused, and scared.’
The incident triggered a panic attack, with echoes of the incident in February as she tried to wrench her phone back from her vicious teenage attacker.
As she struggled to comprehend the incident, Genevieve phoned a friend who works in private security who helped her calm down before heading to her audition.
Once safe, she recorded a video for Instagram, still in her jacket and scarf, her eyes red from crying, warning women: ‘Ladies, please be careful.’
The star recorded a tearful Instagram video (above) just minutes after the attack, urging women to be careful in London
Zacariah Boulares is serving a 22-month prison sentence for a number of thefts, including for his attack on Genevieve
The incident came months after Boulares, a prolific teenage thief with a string of convictions, had tried to steal her phone at a Joe and the Juice coffee shop in Kensington High Street.
As she challenged Boulares, another man – his accomplice – entered the cafe and threatened to stab her.
While Boulares, a prolific thief with a string of convictions to his name, is serving a 22-month sentence, the man who left her fearing for her life remains at large.
‘The man that threatened to stab me multiple times is still walking free and the police won’t even give me his name,’ she said. ‘I have had no support – nothing.’
The Metropolitan Police has previously said officers investigated a 19-year-old man following the Kensington incident but no further action was taken.
February’s incident had left her agoraphobic, and for months she has been steeling herself to move back to London after moving back home with her mother.
Friends of the actress have previously said she has worked hard to rebuild her confidence after the February assault.
However, last week’s incident has given her pause for thought.
‘My furniture is all in storage while I figure out where to live,’ she said. ‘My entire life has changed.’
Genevieve is a qualified Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) boxer and has an extensive sporting background.
She fought off the thief because of her boxing experience, but she did advise the public not to do the same.
She told Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard on This Morning at the time: ‘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.’
