Jamie Oliver has confirmed he chased a man down the street after he attempted to burgle the celebrity chef's house in north London.
The man “had earlier tried to break into other properties on the street in Highgate, North London – including one believed to belong to Kate Moss”, says the Daily Mirror.
But he was spotted “as he tried to smash his way into Jamie’s £8.9million, eight-bedroom mansion”, adds the paper.
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The paper’s source said: “Jamie was alerted to something wrong when he heard a massive commotion coming from his neighbour’s house.
“He was set to investigate but before he knew it, he was face to face with the burglar himself as he tried to smash his way into his house as well.
“Jamie went absolutely mad and sprinted after the man down the street before catching up with him and pinning him down to the floor.
Oliver confirmed to the BBC the incident had taken place, and “looked shaken when recalling the event”, says the broadcaster.
Asked about the ordeal, Oliver was reluctant to comment in detail but told the BBC: “It's not a situation you want to get involved with, it was what it was and it ended OK.”
"[I was lucky] to be there to stop something from getting much much worse," he confessed. "I didn't really have a choice, so it wasn't really about bravery - it was a very odd and unfortunate grabbing scenario."
One neighbour told the Mirror: “It was just a brave, selfless thing to do. Despite the clearly very hairy situation, Jamie was laughing and joking with the coppers saying they'd done a great job to arrive so quickly after the 999 call. Everyone is really thankful for his quick thinking and courage.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called to reports of an aggressive male attempting to gain entry to residential addresses in N6.”
“The male was apprehended by members of the public and was subsequently detained by police. He was taken to a north London police station and was subsequently released with no further action.”
It's not known why the man was released, but the Daily Mail reported a police spokesman as saying it could be down to a “lack of evidence” or the “suspect having mental health problems”.
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