Annabel Croft has said she was mugged by a masked man in a “terrifying” broad daylight crime in London.
The former tennis pro, who appeared on the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing, shared the ordeal with her followers, revealing her phone was taken in a “snatch and go” theft carried out on an e-bike.
Shortly after the incident occurred on Tuesday (11 June), Croft said that her mobile phone was taken “clean out of her hands” outside King’s Cross St Pancras station.
Croft was waiting for a taxi when the incident occurred, and issued a warning to “people who are on their own in London”.
She wrote: “The man was riding a bike and wearing a black balaclava. He rode straight at me and took my phone clean out of my hands. He rode away with it but luckily dropped my phone so I got it back. Terrifying!
“On a positive note, there are some lovely people out there. Luckily a lovely gentleman witnessed it and came over to help me. Thank you to whoever you are.”
In October, it was found there has been a 28 per cent rise in mobile phone robberies in London over a 12-month period. Research carried out by the Labour Party found that a phone is being stolen every four minutes.
Croft finished fifth on the latest series of Strictly, in which she was paired with Johannes Radebe.
Speaking during her time on the series, Croft said the BBC show had given her a “reason” to “get up in the morning” following the death of her husband, Mel Coleman from stomach cancer earlier in 2023.
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Croft previously said she signed up for the show in hope of “finding some joy” in the wake of Coleman’s death, which occurred on 24 May 2023.
On the first anniversary since his death, Croft paid tribute to her late husband, writing on Instagram: “Miss you so much. Thank you to everyone for your love and support.”
