Susanna Reid shares terrifying near-death experience of being mugged by a ‘young lad’ and ‘slashed’ with a knife

Susanna bravely tells her story (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Susanna Reid has opened up about a near-death experience she had after being mugged by a knifeman.

The presenter, 50, was in her mid-twenties when a ‘young lad’ stole her bag and ‘slashed’ her with a knife.

Speaking at an event at Selhurst Park, she showed her support for a Premier League club’s bid to reduce knife crime in South London.

Susanna said: ‘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.’

The Good Morning Britain host – who is a lifelong Crystal Palace fan and a patron of the Palace For Life Foundation – bravely shared her own experience with knife crime.

The presenter said she was ‘lucky’ following the incident (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

‘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.’

She continued: ‘As he ran away, I ran after him and in fact, he dropped my bag, he took the money.’

As she looked down, there was a ‘knife slash’ across her body that went through her clothes and bag.

‘But it had not touched my skin. I was lucky,’ Susanna said.

The journalist ‘wishes somebody had intervened with that young lad,’ telling the charity: ‘I support everything you’re doing in order to help those kids before they think that that’s okay.’

She admits to being ‘furious’ afterwards (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

The charity’s Divert scheme aims to keep 300 young people away from crime, gangs and anti-social behaviour through one-to-one mentoring over the next three years.

They plan to send charity workers in Palace shirts to local police stations to offer support to offenders.

Susanna has told her story once before on GMB during a debate about an assault on a female police officer.

She described running after her attacker as ‘instinct,’ despite knowing it was ‘not rational and obviously dangerous.’

Susanna ‘ran around 100 yards after him,’ which she thinks scared off the knifeman, causing him to drop her belongings.

The broadcaster was ‘furious’ in the aftermath, but managed to get back her phone and keys.

More: Good Morning Britain

Susanna agreed that the attack ‘had had a traumatic effect’ on her for a while afterwards.

The offender was never caught and Susanna was unable to single him out in an ID parade.

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.

MORE : Seth Rogen labelled ‘privileged’ after defending Los Angeles in crime discussion on Twitter

MORE : Young men are committing crimes – but it’s not because of a female Doctor Who