Strictly Come Dancing star Michelle Tsiakkas has revealed she was robbed in broad daylight in London, leaving her feeling "scared and helpless."
The professional dancer, 29, was on her way to the dentist early in the morning when a man on an electric bike snatched her phone near Covent Garden.
In an emotional Instagram video, Michelle recounted the "traumatising" incident and urged her followers to remain vigilant.
"This was a couple of days ago and I've just about mentally recovered from that. It was quite traumatising on the day," Michelle said.
"It wasted my whole day and made me feel awful, scared, helpless and I don't want the same to happen to you. My phone got stolen. My phone got stolen. I mean I see it happening all the time but it's just one of those things that you just never think it's gonna happen to you, and then it does."
Describing the incident in detail, Michelle explained: "It was around Covent Garden so the streets were really quiet. I think I was just the only person around so maybe I was an easy target, and I whipped out my phone to have a look at the directions to see where my dentist was."
"I was on the actual street of the dentist and what happens? A man comes on a bike behind me, sweeps past me and grabs my phone."
She continued: "He's grabbed my phone. He's on an electric bike and my heart just sank. I tried to reach for it and that made me fall on my knees on the floor and graze my knee."
"I think my reflex was just to swear and then scream 'give me back my phone,' and clearly you know that didn't work."
The ballroom dancer added that the thief was wearing a mask and going so fast that catching him was impossible. Michelle also expressed gratitude towards two women who came to her aid, saying: "Thankfully there were two really lovely and helpful women there and they'd seen that I was a bit distressed."
Michelle received an outpouring of support from fans and fellow Strictly dancers, including professional Nancy Xu, who responded with love heart emojis.
Michelle joined Strictly Come Dancing three years ago and last year was paired with EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick. Earlier this year, it was reported her boyfriend, Simone Arena, 33, will also join the BBC show's professional dance line-up.
Simone, born in Catania, Italy, has previously appeared on Belgian, Italian, and Irish versions of the show, and has also starred in the Broadway touring production of Burn the Floor. In 2019, he was part of the cast of Somnium: A Dancer's Dream, alongside Strictly stars Katya Jones and Neil Jones.
