Laura-Jane Foley, former girlfriend of renowned lyricist Sir Tim Rice, recounted an incident this week in which she recovered her stolen mobile phone from a thief in London's Soho district.
Foley, a writer and singer, was seated at an outdoor cafe when an individual approached her. She described the theft as a "sleight-of-hand" maneuver, where the thief used a menu to obscure her view before attempting to take the phone. Foley stated she reached under the menu and seized her phone from the thief's waistband.
Following the recovery, Foley shouted "Thief, thief, thief" repeatedly, which she said frightened the perpetrator into fleeing. She expressed shock at the inaction of bystanders, noting that "no one stirred" and "no one else batted an eyelid."
Foley, 44, who shares a nine-year-old daughter with Sir Tim, 81, described the experience as leading to the "sad realisation that we must be quick-witted in central London."
The report notes other similar incidents, including TV impressionist Ronni Ancona having her phone snatched in Soho in April, and socialite Amanda Cronin experiencing a mobile phone theft in Belgravia last year. Actress Genevieve Chenneour reportedly suffered severe anxiety after an assault while attempting to prevent a robbery at a cafe on Kensington High Street.
In other news from the entertainment world, actress Tamzin Outhwaite lost her voice after the opening night of "Abigail's Party" at London's Harold Pinter Theatre. She reportedly spent the after-party unable to speak. Meanwhile, actress Lucy Boynton expressed relief that the success of upcoming Beatles biopics, directed by Sir Sam Mendes, will primarily depend on the four lead actors. Actor Ray Winstone recalled pretending to be a bank robber to impress women in his youth. Actor Hugh Grant is reportedly on holiday in Greece. Claudia Schiffer's elder daughter, Clementine Vaughn, has posted a photograph from Greece that shows a resemblance to her mother. DJ Fat Tony, who has worked at royal weddings, is reportedly undergoing medical supervision to address issues related to weight-loss injections.