Reality star Olivia Attwood and former professional footballer Bradley Dack have put their Cheshire house on the market after the property was burgled for a third time, underscoring growing concerns from security experts about criminal networks targeting the county’s wealthiest areas.
Attwood, who first showcased the four-bedroom home in a 2021 ITV series, told followers she and Dack would sell the £1.15 million property after a July break-in in which intruders smashed a second-floor window. She said the attack occurred while she was working away and the couple’s dogs were not at home; a security team and dogs reportedly arrived within minutes. The couple married in 2023 and have lived in the house since 2021.
Security specialists and former police officers have warned that Cheshire’s so-called "Golden Triangle" — a roughly five-mile area encompassing Alderley Edge, Prestbury and Wilmslow — presents an attractive target for organised burglary gangs because of its high concentration of celebrity residents and expensive homes.
"You've got people who make a living out of having a high profile, being associated with high value items often displayed and that's definitely a motivation for criminals," Richard Christian, a former Royal Marines commando who runs security firm BluSkills, told MailOnline. BluSkills facilitator Siobhan Considine said public social media posts can reveal details that make properties easy to identify and target.
Analysts point to several high-profile incidents in recent years that illustrate the problem. England international Jack Grealish said his family were left traumatised after thieves stole around £1 million in jewellery from his Cheshire home on Boxing Day 2023; Cheshire Police later said the investigation had closed with no suspects identified but remained open to new information. Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards and then-fiancé Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had their Cheshire house raided in 2020, and former West Ham striker Nicky Maynard and his wife Tara reported a burglary while dining locally in March this year.
Cheshire Police has described some of the raids as the work of "serious organised crime networks, often based overseas," and said such gangs can obtain tip-offs and intelligence that help them plan raids. Investigating officers have cautioned that, despite high-profile publicity, inquiries do not always lead to arrests or recovery of stolen items.
Attwood said in an Instagram update that the July intruders "got some stuff but they didn't get what they came for," and that the family’s security team acted quickly. She described the experience as emotionally difficult and said the couple had spent little time at the house over the past year because of work commitments and Dack’s playing career. The couple said they had been burgled previously while living in neighbouring Manchester.
Experts say that prolific posting of homes, possessions and holiday locations on platforms such as Instagram creates a modern vulnerability. "A lot of the dangers can come after they've posted online, making public crucial details which make it completely easy for criminals to find their properties," Considine said. She pointed to innocuous posts showing a handbag or furniture, or the use of location tags, as information that can be pieced together by observers.
Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley recommended visible and technical deterrents for high-profile households that continue to share content online. He urged at minimum the installation of closed-circuit television and modern external lighting, and suggested that a permanent on-site security presence is appropriate in many cases. "Those with wealth will unfortunately always be targeted by criminals," Bleksley said. "For people with profiles like these, you have to think about having a permanent security team around your home."
Christian said full-time security is not affordable for every household living in affluent areas, noting that even some professional footballers do not have the resources of top-tier stars. "Obviously if you're David Beckham you can, but even Premier League players and below might not have the means," he said.
Property-market data and local profiles help explain the concentration of wealth. Prestbury contains streets with some of the highest average property values in northern England, with Withinlee Road cited in analyses as having an average near £1.2 million. Houses in the wider Alderley Edge area have reached prices advertised at up to £15 million. The Golden Triangle has long been favoured by Premier League footballers and other high earners.
Local residents and security consultants told reporters that information beyond celebrities’ own posts can also be exploited: planning applications, property registers and social media posts by fans or acquaintances can all contribute to a picture that criminals may use. Police and security firms urged people with public profiles to review privacy settings and be cautious about sharing location information.
The recent spate of incidents has prompted calls for increased awareness among high-profile residents and for tailored security measures. For some, the decision has been to leave the area altogether; Attwood and Dack have said their Cheshire home will be on the market soon. Others have tightened on-site security and restricted online sharing.
Cheshire Police did not provide new comment beyond previous statements that enquiries into high-profile burglaries remain subject to review if fresh information emerges. Security firms advising celebrities said the incidents underline a wider trend: organised gangs looking for high-value targets in concentrated pockets of wealth, and an online environment that can inadvertently aid their planning.
The combination of visible affluence, frequent social-media posting and a dense community of high-value homes continues to pose challenges for residents and law enforcement alike. As public figures weigh privacy against publicity, security professionals say simple changes — more cautious online behaviour, upgraded home security systems and, where possible, professional guarding — can reduce risk, even if they cannot eliminate it entirely.