Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour has revealed how an assault near Oxford Street has left her too scared to move back to London.
In a teary video shared last week, the Netflix star told how a man had “locked onto her” and struck her with “full force” while she was on her way to an audition.
The former Team GB swimmer described how the assailant had knocked her, before continuing to walk on, not responding as she swore at him in pain after the incident.
This is the second time Genevieve, 27, has been attacked by a stranger in London in under a year. Previously, she was the victim of an attempted phone snatching in a coffee shop in Kensington in February.
She confronted the thief, Zacariah Boulares, in the now viral footage in an incident which left her with a concussion.
Genevieve said she planned to return to the city after the attack, but has once again changed her mind because she believes the city is not safe.
She told the Daily Mail: “I was preparing to move back into town as I have to be here for work. I don't think I will now.”
The actress, who plays Clara Livingston in popular Netflix period drama Bridgerton, says she was on her way to an audition near Oxford Circus when the attack happened on Thursday, November 20.
She shared a video on Instagram in tears just moments after it happened, describing how the man directly approached her with, she said, “an intention to hurt or intimidate me”.
“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.
She went on, “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.”
She was struck by the arm and body of the man, who proceeded to keep walking as though nothing had happened.
She went on to explain how she reacted to the incident, swearing at the man in a moment of rage, which did not seem to elicit any measurable reaction from anyone on the street.
Genevieve said: “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.'
She says that the incident triggered a panic attack, before phoning a friend who works in private security, who gave her emotional support before she went to her audition.
Later on, she filmed a video for Instagram, with visibly red eyes, urging women: “Ladies, please be careful.”
This incident follows the incident in February at the Juice coffee shop in Kensington High Street, when Zacariah Boulares attempted to steal her phone.
When he attempted to steal her phone, she confronted him, before his accomplice entered the café and threatened to stab her.
Boulares, a prolific teenage thief with a series of convictions, is currently serving a 22-month sentence, whilst his accomplice has not been caught.
She said: “The man that threatened to stab me multiple times is still walking free and the police won’t even give me his name.
“I have had no support - nothing.”
According to the Metropolitan Police, a 19-year-old man was investigated after the incident in Kensington but no action was taken against him.
See "Bridgerton" actress Genevieve Chenneour fight off would-be phone thief in London. pic.twitter.com/wMTf2cETQh
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) June 16, 2025
After February’s incident, Genevieve has been struggling with agoraphobia and has been mentally preparing to move back to London after living at home with her mother.
The actress’s friends say she has been working hard to rebuild her confidence, but the incident last week has rattled her.
She said: “My furniture is all in storage while I figure out where to live,
“My entire life has changed.”
Genevieve has an impressive sporting background as both a swimmer and a boxer, qualified through the Amateur Boxing Association.
She says she had the confidence to fight off the thief because of her boxing experience, but does not advise the public to do the same.
In a previous interview with Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard on This Morning, she said: “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.”
