Strictly star Annabel Croft left ‘traumatized’ after robbed by phone thief in London | My news from London

Strictly star Annabel Croft has described feeling “traumatised” after an attacker on an e-bike snatched her phone from her hand on a London street. The former tennis player said she was waiting for a taxi on a quiet street in London and was checking her phone to see where her driver was when the theft took place.

Annabel, who came fourth in the last series of Strictly Come Dancing, told ITV This Morning: ‘I was aware that this bike was coming at me from a distance. And I thought it was a young man on a bicycle… I realized. he was (wearing) a balaclava and I thought, oh, pull the corner a little bit.”

She continued: “The next thing I knew, he was literally at my side and with one hand, very deftly, ripped my phone out of my hand while I was looking at the app. I screamed, I was totally shocked by this and he I walked away with the phone, I screamed all kinds of abuse, I couldn’t even tell you what came out of my mouth.

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Annabel said that incredibly the thief dropped his phone as she chased him: “My instinct, quite wrong, was to follow him because I thought, what the hell am I going to do without my phone when all our life. they seem to be on our phone. He looked back and I think he had decided whether to go back and try to get him and then I was so lucky that there was a very nice gentleman across the road who could see how upset I was. He helped me.”

The former tennis champion wants to offer a warning to others about the risks of having a stolen phone. She said: “It totally traumatized me. I went into a bit of a shock after that with the tremors coming over me. It all happened so fast, it’s a bit of a blur, but I don’t want anyone standing around. on my own, looking at their phones that have that kind of experience, because I realize it’s pretty common.”

Annabel said she never considered herself a target, but the phone was out of her hands “within seconds”. She continued: “I am very worried about my children. I’m worried about my friends, family, whoever might be on the street corner, because it doesn’t feel very safe anymore. I was so shocked and it’s very terrifying. So, you know, please be aware that you’re on the street corner… I’d hate for anyone to have the same experience because it’s pretty terrifying.

Former British number one tennis player Annabel Croft, aged 15, was the youngest Briton to compete at the Wimbledon Championships for almost a century. She was also the junior tournament champion in 1984 at the age of 18.

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