Broadcaster Nicky Campbell has warned fans to "take care out there" after telling them that someone attempted to "grab" his phone whilst he was out in London this week.
Nicky, 63 - whose work includes fronting Long Lost Family alongside Davina McCall - said that it happened on Friday while he was down Oxford Street. He told his followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was able to "snatch" his phone back before the individual "ran off".
He tweeted: "Jeeeez. Near Oxford St. Guy just tried to grab my phone as I was on it. His hand was on it. I snatched it back shouted 'fk you' and he ran off." Nicky concluded with an apparent warning for fans, writing: "Take care out there."
The BBC Radio 5 Live host further commented in response to reaction that the tweet prompted. Asked if the individual in question had been on foot and ran off, Nicky told a fan in a later tweet on Friday afternoon: "Yep. Opportunist."
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service told the Mirror on Friday: "Police are aware of an attempted phone theft on Oxford Street on the morning of Friday, 8 November. There have been no arrests."
His original tweet has 90,000 views on the platform and it has amassed more than a thousand likes. Nicky was met with well wishes among other responses. One person wrote: "Glad you're ok mate." Another said in their reply to him: "Hope you're okay Nicky. I'm sure that shook you up a bit."
Image:
Getty Images)A third said: "Hope you're ok." Someone else wrote to the presenter: "You take care too." Whilst one fan reacted: "Glad you're safe. Be careful." Sharing their thoughts, another person said in their tweet: "Very sorry to hear that."
Some fans encouraged others not to have their phones out in public amid concerns over an apparent rise in "snatch thefts," as previously reported by the Mirror. Several people recommended wearing earphones whilst out.
One person commented: "Sorry to hear that Nicky. Seems it's been happening frequently." One fan wrote: "That's one good reason why you should never have your phone out on a high st." Whilst another wrote in a reply to the Nicky's tweet: "So wrong that we have to hide our phones away."
Nicky - who's had a decades long career in broadcasting - had presented his BBC Radio show, which airs on weekdays, earlier that morning. The host has worked at the BBC for more than 30 years, having joined BBC Radio 1 back in 1987.
He's also known for his TV work, having fronted shows like Watchdog and the Big Questions in the past. Nicky has co-presented ITV's Long Lost Family, which returned earlier this year for its fourteenth series, since 2011.
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