Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant and influencer Saffron Barker revealed that she is “grateful to be alive” after a robbery left her stranded in the US.
On Saturday, the 24-year-old YouTuber took to TikTok to explain how she was stranded in the US and unable to leave after armed robbers stole all her belongings and smashed up her rental car.
Making the claims via a makeup tutorial story time, she said: “I honestly can’t leave the US right now and everything I had with me was completely stolen.”
She added: “If I’m being honest, this trip has just not gone to plan at all. I’ve suffered the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Barker, and her model boyfriend Josh Miln had travelled to the US for a road trip. They had rented a Jeep to travel from Hollywood to Las Vegas, vlogging their journey as they went.
Only a couple of hours into their drive when the couple stopped at a roadside diner. Barker explained that the restaurant was nostalgic because she had visited the same establishment with her parents when she was younger.
But when they returned to their vehicle after just half an hour inside, they found it smashed up and all of their belongings stolen, including their passports and medication.
Barker said: “It’s not just the material things. It’s everything we needed. We had nothing left, no ID, no medication, nothing.”
Despite the inconvenience, Barker insisted she was “so grateful to be alive”.
“They have guns in America, and something much worse could have happened,” the 24-year-old added. “We keep telling ourselves that we should be grateful we’re still here.”
The pair had presumed the area where they parked was safe. Barker said: “We were completely naive. There were lots of cars around, so we didn’t think anything bad could happen.”
Her boyfriend, Miln, added: “There were tourists everywhere, and apparently this happens almost every day. It’s crazy that there are no warning signs.”
@saffronbarker Update- since filming, Police have told us two of them were armed 🥹💔 So grateful to have you by my side though @Josh Miln the most important thing ♥️
♬ original sound - Saffron Barker
Unfortunately for the couple, their struggles didn’t stop there. They had no choice but to drive the smashed-up car to Las Vegas with the shattered windows in order to return it.
When they arrived at the hotel, the staff were left suspicious by their lack of ID, choosing to deny them entry.
Barker claimed: “We looked like we’d stolen the car. The hotel didn’t care about our situation and wouldn’t let us in.”
This is not the first time the couple have been targeted. The house they left behind in the UK was also recently robbed, which Miln sarcastically described as “the cherry on top”.
The pair are currently waiting for emergency passports. Once the passports are ready the couple will have to drive back to LA to retrieve them before their flights home from Vegas.
This time around they will be careful not to stop anywhere. Barker advised: “If you ever decide to do a similar trip, please don’t stop off at places like that.”
