Genevieve Chenneour, a 28-year-old actress known for her role as Clara Livingston in Netflix's period drama Bridgerton, has spoken out about her harrowing experiences with crime in London, expressing deep fears for her safety as one of her attackers is set for release next year. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, she detailed a year of hell that has left her feeling unsafe in Britain, prompting her to move out of the capital after eight years.
A Year of Terror in the Capital
Ms Chenneour's ordeal began last February when she was targeted by phone snatchers at a Joe & the Juice café in Kensington, west London. The attacker, Zacariah Boulares, 18, snuck up behind her and grabbed her phone, but she bravely fought back, a moment captured on CCTV. Boulares, described by his own mother as a 'sociopath', has an extensive criminal history, including threatening to behead broadcaster Aled Jones with a machete during a previous robbery. Despite this, he received just a 22-month jail sentence for mugging Ms Chenneour, with his accomplice, who threatened to slash her face with a knife, still at large.
This means Boulares could be back on the streets by May 2027, or even earlier, a prospect that terrifies Ms Chenneour. She warned, 'He's a complete monster and a sociopath. In my mind I believe he is a future murderer. That is not someone that should be walking out on the streets. I don't trust police to protect me.' She emphasised that the mugging was not just about her phone but a life-changing encounter with violence that has left her traumatised.
Multiple Assaults and a Global Pattern
In a shocking revelation, Ms Chenneour disclosed that the Kensington mugging was just one of three incidents she endured within nine months. In November, she suffered what she describes as an 'incel' attack outside Oxford Circus, where a man deliberately walked into her as hard as he could, a trend she believes is designed to undermine women's confidence. Just days after the Kensington mugging, while in Los Angeles for the SAG Awards, a twisted pervert pulled his trousers down and performed a sex act during her photoshoot, forcing her to flee and leave her shoes behind.
Reflecting on these experiences, Ms Chenneour lamented the state of safety in major cities, noting that London is not alone in making her feel unsafe. She pointed to Los Angeles's homeless problem and broader global issues, stating, 'We are regressing. Look at Iran, look how beautiful it used to be... We've almost got Stockholm syndrome to the base level of misogyny. We've normalised stuff that really isn't normal.'
From London to India: A Contrast in Safety
Despite her trauma in London and Los Angeles, Ms Chenneour found solace in a recent trip to India, where she felt remarkably safe. She shared, 'I travel all the time for work and I was in India the other day. I felt really safe in India. People were coming up to me and fascinated by me and wanted to take pictures of me. And I said that's fine, just don't touch me. Someone even gave me their baby to carry. But I had a really nice time.' This stark contrast has made her question the safety standards in the UK and US, where she now feels more vulnerable.
Having lived in London for eight years, Ms Chenneour no longer recognises the city she once loved. She is too terrified to walk alone or use the Tube, citing a rise in 'really sick people' and 'trending violence'. A wake-up call came when 24-year-old Blue Stevens was knifed to death in Knightsbridge last July, a incident that left her frozen with fear, realising how easily she could have met a similar fate.
A Call to Action and Personal Resilience
Ms Chenneour, who comes from a military family and is a former Team GB swimmer and stunt performer, fought back during both the mugging and assault, drawing on her athletic and training background. She said, 'He doesn't know I've come from a military family, and I was a professional athlete and a stunt performer so he really did choose the wrong person.' However, the emotional toll has been heavy, leaving her concussed and feeling alone, with women often bearing the shame in such situations.
She urged women to embrace anger as a tool for change, stating, 'I think the way that men keep power over us is by saying that we're crazy and we're angry and actually look at the history... we need to be angry. I'm happy to be labelled crazy and angry to move things forward.' While she would love to return to London for her acting career, she is not ready, calling for greater community cohesion and safety measures in the city.
In a message to Londoners, she concluded, 'Anybody that's living here, we have to work together, we have to assimilate. We have to get on and have a sense of community. We need to learn together in this city.' Her story highlights growing concerns about urban safety and the impact of crime on women's lives in modern Britain.
