Writer and singer Laura-Jane Foley confronted a phone thief at a Soho cafe in central London, snatching her stolen mobile back from the criminal's waistband.
The 44-year-old was sitting at an outdoor table in the west London district when a woman targeted her in what she described as an "old-style, sleight-of-hand theft." The thief thrust a giant menu under Foley's nose, invading her personal space and making her recoil.
"I knew she must be taking something, so I grabbed underneath the menu and snatched a phone from her waistband," Foley explained. "Luckily, it was mine."
Foley, who has a nine-year-old daughter with 81-year-old Oscar-winning lyricist Sir Tim Rice, then attempted to alert people around her by shouting "Thief, thief, thief" extremely loudly in the "loudest, banshee-like voice imaginable."
Her screaming frightened off the criminal, who "ran away, terrified." However, Foley was left shocked by the complete lack of response from passers-by in the busy district. "No one stirred," she said. "I found that non-reaction the most incredible bit of the whole thing. No one else batted an eyelid."
Foley added that she has come to the "sad realisation that we must be quick-witted in central London." Central London has seen several high-profile thefts targeting celebrities in recent months. In April, television impressionist Ronni Ancona had her phone snatched in Soho. Last year, socialite Amanda Cronin had her mobile stolen while out in Belgravia. Meanwhile, Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour was left with severe anxiety after being assaulted while bravely fending off a thug who attempted to rob her at a cafe on Kensington High Street in west London.
West End Stage Drama
Former EastEnders actress Tamzin Outhwaite was left speechless following her opening night performance in the West End production of black comedy Abigail's Party. The 55-year-old star powered through her gruelling first night as Beverly at London's Harold Pinter Theatre, performing in front of a star-studded crowd that included Sienna Miller, Simon Pegg and Susan Hampshire.
However, Outhwaite was left barely able to speak after stepping off stage, whispering: "My vocals have gone and I can't speak. I need to rest my cords." She spent the remainder of the evening completely mute at the production's official after-party at The Londoner hotel, repeatedly pointing to her throat whenever anyone tried to speak to her.
Beatles Biopic Expectations
Actress Lucy Boynton is happy to let the leading men shoulder the weight of expectation surrounding director Sir Sam Mendes's ambitious quartet of Beatles biopics. The 32-year-old actress plays Sir Paul McCartney's Swinging Sixties ex-girlfriend Jane Asher in the upcoming feature films.
Boynton admitted she is relieved that the project's ultimate success will rest largely on the four actors portraying the iconic Fab Four. "I feel at a safe distance from the Beatles films because it'll be all on those four boys," she explained.
Harvey Nichols Bank Robbers
Hollywood hardman Ray Winstone has revealed that he enjoyed playing a villain off screen during his youth in London. The 69-year-old actor, who plays a drug lord in Netflix's The Gentlemen and previously starred as a Boston mob enforcer in Martin Scorsese's crime drama The Departed, recalled pretending to be a criminal to impress women.
"When we were young men, we'd save up a few quid and go and have a drink at the Harvey Nicks," Winstone said, referring to the bar at Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge. "The girls would be from Sloane Square, you know, with the pearl necklace and all that, and the geezers would be from the East End, and you would tell them you were bank robbers. They loved that."
Greek Holiday Escapes
Foppish actor Hugh Grant and his Swedish wife, Anna Eberstein, have been enjoying a holiday at a luxury resort in northern Greece. The 65-year-old Four Weddings and a Funeral star first fell in love with the country after snapping up an £85 package holiday when he was 18 years old.
When once asked why he proved so attractive to Greek women, Grant modestly replied: "I'm sorry ladies, I just can't help it."
Supermodel Daughter Swimsuit
Clementine Vaughn, the 21-year-old elder daughter of supermodel Claudia Schiffer and Kingsman filmmaker Sir Matthew Vaughn, appears determined to follow her mother into modelling. In a holiday photograph posted online from Greece, Vaughn wore a turquoise swimsuit and looked uncannily like her 55-year-old supermodel mother, who was pictured in New York in 2019.
Although Vaughn acknowledges her fortunate background, she is keen to make her own mark in the industry. She once declared: "I've seen the end of success. I want to see the start of it."
Weight Loss Medication Struggle
Celebrity DJ Fat Tony, whose real name is Tony Marnach, is battling an obsession with weight-loss jabs after previously overcoming a 28-year drug addiction that nearly killed him. The 60-year-old, who DJ'd at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 royal wedding and Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz's 2022 nuptials, admitted he became "skin and bones" earlier this year.
"Six months ago, I took it too far," Marnach admitted. "My skin was hanging off me. Even my mum was like, you look like a skeleton." He explained that the Mounjaro jab he was taking eventually "wasn't enough," leading him to seek stronger, unregulated drugs from "places that I shouldn't be getting it."
Marnach is now weaning himself off the medication under medical supervision. Referencing a famous diet mantra popularized by his friend, supermodel Kate Moss, he added: "The famous line, 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels' is such a load of crap."
