Genevieve Chenneour, known for her role in Bridgerton, has revealed she is suffering from “severe agoraphobia” and is largely housebound following a violent phone theft in west London.
The 27-year-old actress was attacked in a café this past February after confronting a man who stole her mobile device.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Chenneour spoke publicly for the first time about the assault, which resulted in concussion and significant trauma, leading her to relocate from London to live with her mother. She stated, “I no longer feel safe calling west London home as a single woman.”
Last month, Zacariah Boulares, 18, received a 22-month prison sentence for common assault and three counts of theft.
Chenneour, who portrayed Clara Livingston in the third season of Bridgerton, was meeting her former boyfriend at Joe & The Juice on Kensington High Street when her phone was taken from their table.
CCTV footage shows Chenneour grabbing the thief in an attempt to retrieve her phone, subsequently leading to an altercation that she described as a “full-on fight between four people for about five minutes.”
“I was just facing forward at the back of a café, so there shouldn’t really have been anything going on behind me,” Chenneour told BBC News.
“I thought it was a moment to kind of relax. I put my phone down next to me, and the next thing I knew… it felt like a darkness came over me.”
Chennoeur recounted sensing something was amiss before realizing her phone was gone, and upon turning, spotting a man in a black hoodie directly in front of her.
Chenneour stated she “very quickly asked for my phone back” but Boulares refused.
“Luckily, I had my ex there. So I made the first move of grabbing him to get the phone and then I pushed him by his chest or neck to create some distance,” she said.
Chenneour and her ex-boyfriend attempted to prevent the man’s escape, but the situation escalated with the arrival of another individual at the café.
“They threatened stabbing me. It escalated. I didn’t know what to do because if you get off them and you’re fighting, is that an opportunity for them to stab you?”
She said she briefly lost consciousness during the confrontation.
“It went black. I don’t know what hit me, but something hit me. Then it carried on and I ended up on his back with my arm around his neck,” she recounted.
Someone then falsely claimed the police had arrived and the doors were locked.
Chenneour stated she then released the suspect, hoping officers would take control, but the claim was false and the suspect fled.
Boulares, an 18-year-old repeat offender, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on July 1.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police stated that officers investigated a 19-year-old man following the incident at Joe & The Juice, but no further action was taken against him.
Chenneour said that not knowing the identity of the second man continues to frighten her.
“I can’t understand why someone’s walking around who has threatened to stab me,” she said.
“That just shouldn’t be the case. I feel like I deserve to know that person’s name.”
“How can you threaten to stab someone and be walking around knowing that the guy you did that with is in prison?”
She also stated she had no prior knowledge that the CCTV footage would be released, and did not consent to its circulation.
“I woke up to this viral video of me defending myself. I blacked out so I didn’t know that I’d done that. Watching that video was just the most bizarre experience. It was like a fever dream.”
The psychological impact of the attack, she told the BBC, has been severe and long-lasting.
Chenneour said she had become severely agoraphobic, adding: “I didn’t want to leave the house. And then if I did leave the house, I wanted to be with someone.
“But I felt like a burden. That’s a really dark downward spiral that you can find yourself in.”
She said she stayed in hotels when returning to London for work.
“I’ve avoided public transport, changed my routines, and I’m currently exploring therapy options,” Chenneour added.
She praised the café’s staff, especially the women who called police and supported her. She also expressed appreciation for the officers who responded on the day – but criticised the lack of long-term support from the Met Police.
Chenneour said there was “no co-ordinated aftercare” and she was “left to survive the aftermath myself”.
“I’ve spoken to people who’ve done the exact same thing after something similar happened. This affects every part of your life,” she said.
Asked what message she would give to those carrying out attacks like the one she experienced, she said: “You have no idea what people are dealing with when you rob them, threaten them, hurt them.
“You don’t need to hurt people to get where you want to in life. There’s a better choice.”
The Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers were “relentlessly pursuing criminal gangs intent on committing robbery and phone theft”.
They added: “We have increased patrols in hotspot areas to identify and deter perpetrators.”
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