Legendary broadcaster John Humphrys has told how he charged at a trespasser with secateurs.
The TV Mastermind host, 75, had spotted a man in his garden walking towards the house.
He said: “I grabbed a pair of secateurs, charged out into the garden brandishing them as though they were a cavalryman’s sabre, and rushed at him, screaming threats. It was pretty obvious what he had in mind.”
Humphrys said the man “muttered something unintelligible about looking for somewhere to sleep” before fleeing.
The Radio 4 Today show presenter said he regretted his actions.
He told Waitrose magazine: “What if he’d stood his ground? Would I really have stabbed him? What if I had caused him serious injury?
"For those few seconds, I was not in control of my anger.
"All I could think was, how dare he threaten my home and family?”
He added: “The minute the intruder escaped, I wanted to apologise. The thought of physically attacking anyone fills me with revulsion.
Maybe he really had been looking for somewhere to sleep. Maybe I should have shown him sympathy.”
