GMB star Susanna Reid told of her terrifying near death experience when man attempted to mug her with a knife.
The TV star revealed how she was close to being stabbed after a man slashed her top.
Susanna, 50, said: “Twenty-five years ago, I was walking through South London.
“I had just taken a load of cash out of a cash machine to go out for a night out. And a young lad came up to me and got my bag off me.
“And as he ran away, I ran after him. And in fact, he dropped my bag, he took the money.
“But I looked down at the bag, and at my coat. And there was a knife slash across my body, through my clothes and through my bag.”
The Good Morning Britain star said the attack in Brixton, South London, had a “traumatic effect” on her.
The Crystal Palace football fan spoke at the Palace For Life Foundation, which runs the club’s Divert scheme, aiming to reduce knife crime, gangs and anti social behaviour.
She added at the event: “I feel particularly affected and touched and moved to support the work that is being done to tackle knife crime. And my heart breaks for anybody who has been affected.
“I’ve got three teenage boys.
“And we know it’s hard to find a group of teenagers in South London who are not affected in some way by knife crime.”
Susanna previously spoke about her ordeal on Good Morning Britain with ex co-host Piers Morgan.
She revealed she ran after the young man and retrieved some of her belongings.
She opened up about what happened during a debate about a violent assault on a female police officer.
“I got mugged once by a guy with a knife and my instinct was to run after him”, said Susanna.
“It’s not rational and obviously it was dangerous, but he got scared and dropped my bag.
“He slashed my bag off me and cut through my coat. I was incandescent. I ran around 100 yards after him.
“He ran up over a bridge because I was absolutely furious. I followed him up over the bridge and saw him shaking out my bag.
“He ran off. He took the cash out of my bag, but I got the bag back, which was obviously broken, and my phone and my keys.”
Susanna agreed the historic attack had had a “traumatic effect” on her for a while afterwards.
The crook was never caught after Susanna admitted being unable to pick him out of an ID parade.
“I think it was red mist, she said.
“I wasn’t really looking at him. I was just acting on instinct
I don’t think I would have chosen to do it, it was because I was propelled to do it.
“I just wouldn’t let him get away with it.”
