Genevieve Chenneour, who portrays Clara Livingston on “Bridgerton,” made headlines after security footage captured her fighting off an attempted phone theft at a London juice bar. The 27-year-old actress appeared on “This Morning” on June 12 to discuss the February 8 incident at Joe & The Juice on Kensington High Street. She revealed details about the confrontation that lasted much longer than the viral video suggested.
“When I first saw it, I was shocked because I didn’t even remember my reaction, and I thought it was way longer than it was,” Chenneour told hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shepherd on the morning program. “That moment before anything happened, I thought it was about 20 seconds, but it was milliseconds.”
From Olympic Pool to Boxing Ring
The actress’s athletic background proved to be a valuable asset during the confrontation. Before entering the entertainment industry, Chenneour represented Team GB at the 2015 European Games in Baku. The talented athlete also competed in artistic swimming at the world championships, according to The Daily Mail. She’s also a certified boxer with the Amateur Boxing Association, and regularly shares training videos on social media.
“I think I have very quick reactions, thanks to having three brothers growing up, and I’m an aviated carded boxer. I think it just was an instinct, I also do a lot of fight training for work and acting,” she explained.
The security footage shows 18-year-old Zacariah Boulares attempting to grab her phone while she sat at the counter. Chenneour immediately noticed and pushed him against a wall until he dropped the device. However, the actress revealed the altercation continued beyond what cameras captured.
“It kind of went round the corner and it turned into a full-on scrap with two people [Boulares and his accomplice],” she told This Morning hosts. “And I was threatened with being stabbed, so it became a real matter, in my mind, of life and death.”
Chenneour’s Safety First Message
Despite successfully defending herself, Chenneour stressed on This Morning that she doesn’t recommend others follow her example. “I don’t know if I would advise anybody else to do it,” she stated.
Former Chief Superintendent Parm Sandu, who appeared alongside Genevieve on This Morning, reinforced this message. “Genevieve was very brave and I commend her for that, but I would not recommend anybody, anybody fights back. It just isn’t worth it,” Sandu advised viewers.
Boulares pleaded guilty to theft on May 29 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where it was revealed he had 12 previous convictions involving 28 offenses, the Sunday Times reported. Chenneour shared that the incident temporarily affected her confidence. Following the attack, the actress took a break from London after seven years in the city.
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