Rosamund Pike has revealed she had her phone snatched out of her hand and was punched in the face during a terrifying mugging incident in London.

The Gone Girl star said she was speaking to her mother when a “kid” sped past on a bike and grabbed the phone. The actor said her mother endured “15 minutes of hell” until she managed to phone her back from another device.

The 46-year-old told Magic Radio: “I was on the phone to my mother, on a mobile phone walking along a road, and I was mugged.

“The phone was snatched so all she heard was me scream and a thud and the phone went dead.”

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She said the attacker punched her while he sped past, leaving her with a bruise to her face. A spokesperson for the actor said the incident took place in 2006.

In London, residents, tourists and workers who commute into offices have witnessed a growing rise in mobile phone snatching, with a 151 per cent increase in the last year.

Criminals often use bikes and mopeds to snatch mobile phones, and often victims are approached from behind while talking or texting on phones. The charity Crimestoppers reports that 54 per cent of phone snatches involve thieves using pedal bikes.

Former Coronation Street actor Kym Marsh has also shared her experience of having her phone snatched in London.

The 48-year-old had been walking down Buckingham Palace Road at around 9.30pm when she had her phone ripped from her hands, leaving her feeling “really vulnerable” and “shaken”.

She said: “It is quite a scary thing to happen to you, you;re walking down a road and then all of a sudden something’s taken out of your hand. And that was about a fortnight ago that was taken from me. But, thankfully, I was okay.”

The number of phone thefts has increased significantly in London, with more than 200,000 phones stolen between 2020 and 2024, and over 1,000 stolen each week.

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