Copyright metro
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page Kirsty Gallacher has revealed a stranger randomly ‘assaulted’ her on the streets of London on Tuesday evening. The former Sky Sports host, 49, said a male stranger, who was covered up by clothes, kicked her ‘like a football’ and then fled the scene while she was making her normal commute in London. Tearing up while explaining her terrifying ordeal, which she still ‘can’t believe happened’, Kirsty explained that she was ‘shocked’ and has bruises as a result. ‘I just wanted to jump on here to talk about something I feel is very important to share. Last night I was physically assaulted in the streets of central London,’ she began. ‘I was walking from work to my car, the walk I do most nights. The streets were lit, there were people around. I was walking on the pavement and I noticed this guy, all in black covered up, just walking at me,’ she continued, speaking on social media. ‘I’m always vigilant and he was just walking towards me. I was just thinking, “This is not right…” So I moved out of the way. Then he brushed past me, he turned around and he kicked me like he was kicking a football. Kirsty Gallacher looked visibly distressed while recalling the incident (Picture: Instagram) Kirsty said she wanted to share her experience so others remain vigilant (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage) ‘He kicked me in the middle of the street at about 7pm in front of people,’ she reiterated. ‘I turned around and he scarpered. I’m still shocked now and I have the bruises to prove I’m afraid.’ Reflecting on the shocking incident, the TV presenter continued: ‘I can’t quite believe what happened. I wasn’t being provocative in any way. I was just going about my business. I was just walking to my car to go home to my family.’ Luckily, Kirsty said a ‘lovely’ witness came to help her, but a security guard in a nearby shop ‘disappointed’ her through his inaction. How bad is crime in London? Overall recorded crime has increased by 31.5 % in the Metropolitan Police area of London in the last 10 years, with violent crime increasing by 40%, according to official crime data. Around 957,481 crimes were reported across London in 2024 ranging from theft to sexual offences. Some 16,789 of these involved a bladed weapon, equalling around 46 knife related crimes a day, the Office for National Statistics said. Westminster saw 91,380 offences committed, which is more than double that of the next densely populated of Camden, which saw 42,569 crimes reported. Shoplifting offences have more than doubled, from 38,768 in 2022 to 89,821 in 2024. ‘A security guard on a door nearby was absolutely useless and he didn’t do anything. Which was hugely disappointing,’ she said. ‘I just stood there. I couldn’t actually believe someone, a stranger, has just decided for whatever reason – whether he’s got a problem with women, whether he’s an opportunist – he decided he did not like me and thought, I will give you a boot. ‘That is not okay. It’s not okay. It’s really sad that is what’s going on on the streets of London and that is very real. We all hear about it, don’t we? We all hear, be careful, don’t have your phone out… About people being mugged, and awful things. You always think, “It won’t happen to me.”‘ The TV star still can’t believe the incident happened (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock) Kirsty then thanked the girls who came to her aid. ‘I didn’t know what to do in that moment. I was shocked. I’ve never experienced anything like it,’ she said. It’s not been an easy time for Kirsty of late, after she opened up last month about her benign acoustic neuroma diagnosis. ‘A couple of years ago, I literally woke up and I couldn’t really hear out of my right ear and I thought, “Oh, that’s a bit odd”,’ she explained on Loose Women. ‘It took a while for them to work out what was going on because it was after Covid, but it is called an acoustic neuroma, which is a benign tumour that happens to many people. Don’t know why.’ Kirsty, who is the daughter of former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher, went on to explain how a surgery on her inner ear canal would be ‘very dangerous’ to operate on. Instead, doctors have decided to opt for radiotherapy to shrink the tumour. ‘I’m having radiotherapy in November, I’m really nervous… It’s growing sadly,’ she added. ‘It’s dangerous because it’s pressing on the brain as well, it’s right by the brain… We hope that it might do the job, zap it. It’s quite straightforward. ‘I’m very lucky it’s benign, I’m very lucky that it’s not huge, but it’s the only way of managing it.’ Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
