The Chase’s Jenny Ryan sends warning to GMB viewers as she reveals horrifying robbery at home
THE Chase star Jenny Ryan issued a stark warning to Good Morning Britain viewers as she detailed a horror robbery at her London home.
The quiz champion, known as The Vixen on the ITV game show, told how “irreplaceable” items were swiped from her bedroom in “a moment of loss of concentration.”
Jenny, 42, was on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain to talk about her new cabaret show.
Yet after the light-hearted banter about the tour, talk turned to more serious matters as the I’m A Celeb alumni opened up on the shock crime.
She told of the “robbery scam” and said she had a knock on the door from a workman, who said there was a leak in the flat upstairs and he needed to take some photos.
The Chase favourite Jenny said: “He didn’t just take some photos, he took my phone and some jewellery that was irreplaceable.
“It was made for me as a gift by my mum and step dad.”
Issuing a warning to GMB viewers she continued: “It was a moment of losing concentration, of probably being too polite, of not wanting to say ‘no let me see your ID, wait there.’
“I just wanted it to be over and by that time he was in my house, he has shut himself in my bedroom and was rifling though my stuff.”
The brainbox told how it was the work of “professional criminals” who target vulnerabilities.
Jenny, recalling the troubling time earlier this year, said: “I just think people should be on their guard of anything that seems out of the ordinary.
“If your hackles are up, then don’t be afraid to be impolite, just say no and it probably wont happen to you – hopefully.”
Jenny told GMB anchors Ed Balls and Ranvir Singh how she realised she’d been robbed “as soon as he was out the door.”
She dubbed it a “really clever bit of scam” detailing how the criminal had at first left the bedroom door open, showing the phone perched on the sheets, before shutting it and swiping it.
Previously, the red-head told how she was “scared to stay in my house” following the ordeal.
The Chase: Current lineup of Chasers on the ITV show
The Chase first premiered on ITV back in 2009 and has become a firm favourite among viewers since then. The roster of professional quizzers ('chasers') has grown significantly since the show's launch.
- Mark Labbett (2009 – present): Known as ‘The Beast’, Mark is a former Maths teacher and previously won £32,000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Mark has also reprised his role as a Chaser in the US and Australian versions of the show.
- Shaun Wallace (2009 – present): Shaun, a barrister and former Mastermind champion, goes by the ‘Dark Destroyer’. Shaun has appeared on the Australian version of The Chase. In 2008, he finished as runner-up to Barry Simmons in Are You an Egghead?, a contest to find a new member of the then-BBC quiz team.
- Anne Hegerty (2010 – present): A former contestant on Mastermind, Fifteen To One and Are You an Egghead?, Anne goes by ‘The Governess’. Since joining The Chase, she appeared on I’m A Celebrity… in 2018.
- Paul Sinha (2011-present): Comedian and qualified doctor Paul joined the Chaser line-up in 2011, taking the nickname ‘The Sinnerman’. He has appeared on The Weakest Link, University Challenge and Brain of Britain. In 2018, Paul starred in series 8 of popular game show Taskmaster.
- Jenny Ryan (2015 – present): Known as ‘The Vixen’, Jenny was previously in a winning team on Only Connect. She also appeared in Mastermind, The Weakest Link and Fifteen To One before joining The Chase in 2015.
- Darragh Ennis (2020 – present): A postdoctoral researcher, Darragh joined The Chase in 2020 as ‘The Menace’. He is the first former contestant to join the line-up, having been part of a winning team against Paul Sinha in 2017.
In a chat on BBC Morning Live which aired in April, she told how she had reported the theft to the police but has hit out at their response and support so far.
She added at the time: “I’ve told them that there are probably fingerprints because he moved furniture, there’s lots of CCTV on my street and I know exactly where he went because I had the phone on tracker.
“What I really wanted was a police officer or someone from the local force to call me and make sure I was ok because it’s a very scary thing, I was feeling very vulnerable.”
In 2023, she starred in an episode of Celebrity Escape to the Country and became emotional when she talked of relocating “back home.”
Jenny and partner Tom Tuck opened up to presenter Jules Hudson about their plans to move from the city to the countryside near her hometown, Bolton.
She made London her home after signing up to The Chase and filming episodes in the UK capital.