Celebs flee London: As Simon Cowell sells his £15m Holland park home, how crime and stalker fears have led celebs including the Beckhams and Jeremy Clarkson to spend less time in the capital
- Streets of London becoming increasingly less paved with stars through crime
As the once-bustling jewel in Britain’s crown, five years ago it was inconceivable London could lose its X-Factor appeal for celebrities like Simon Cowell.
For the music tycoon, 63, the move away has been prompted by a combination of reasons, not least his wife, son and dogs and the need for more space for them all.
But crime plaguing the city, the sheer cost of living there and fears about safety have meant many stars are turning their back on it.
It paints a depressing picture for Mayor of London Sadiq Khan who is desperately trying to tempt people into the capital.
The Beckhams spend less time in the city after they were targeted by an obsessed stalker.
Sharon Bell, 58, was charged with harassing former Manchester United and England midfielder David with a series of letters after trying to contact him since 2016.
Amir Khan was robbed of a ££70k watch outside the Sahara Grill in Leyton back in 2022
In 2022 Amir Khan abandoned plans to move to London with his family after being robbed of his £72,000 luxury watch at gunpoint while out with his wife in the capital
David Beckham and his family have been spending less time in London, seen here in the USA
She wrongly believed she was in a relationship with Beckham and that he and Victoria had conspired to steal her eggs from inside her body.
In the most frightening incident Bell turned up at the Beckhams’ 11-year-old daughter’s prep school on November 18, claiming: ‘I’m Harper’s mother. I’m here to pick her up.’
Victoria was also there and saw the stalker looking ‘vacant’ as police arrived and took her away.
She was sectioned for stalking the family at their Oxfordshire and London homes between July and November 2021.
Jeremy Clarkson last year said his London-living daughter no longer went to her local shopping centre as it’s ‘permanently full of gangs with bats and blades’.
Clarkson wrote in his column in The Times: ‘My daughter, who lives in a leafy part of London, tells me she can no longer go to the local shopping centre because it is permanently full of gangs with bats and blades.
The celebrity departures paint a depressing picture for Mayor of London Sadiq Khan who is desperately trying to tempt people into the capital.
Jeremy Clarkson last year said his London-living daughter no longer went to her local shopping centre as it’s ‘permanently full of gangs with bats and blades’
‘And they can do whatever they want because they know for a fact that the police are not coming.
‘They’re not coming because they are all busy trying to catch Fiona and Rupert with a bit of powder, or, more likely, they’re standing around on the pavement, with their hands in their pockets, watching a group of eco-herberts who’ve glued themselves to the road.’
In 2022 Amir Khan abandoned plans to move to London with his family after being robbed of his £72,000 luxury watch at gunpoint while out with his wife in the capital.
The former world champion boxer had a gun thrust in his face as masked assailants stole his Franck Muller Vanguard Chronograph in East London before escaping while his distraught wife Faryal Makhdoom looked on.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline last year, Khan said: ‘My plan was to move to London later this year with Faryal and the kids but after what happened there’s no chance that we’ll be doing that.
‘London is not a place I want to live in anymore. Our plan to move there is not happening. We’re going to stick with living in our home in Bolton and spending time in Dubai.’
The boxer added: ‘I’m not sure if I even want to return to London for the foreseeable future because of increasing crime, terrible traffic and it’s not safe. This is no place for me and my family.’
Simon Cowell waving to fans after appearing on America’s Got Talent earlier on this week
Having owned the home for 16 years he was keen to make a move after outgrowing it
Removal men got to work clearing out Simon Cowell’s possessions on Tuesday after he quietly sold his £15million mansion in Holland Park last week
Turning his attention to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the boxer fumed: ‘Mayor Khan needs to pull his finger out and tackle the increasing levels of gun and knife crime. He’s making the city unliveable. You can’t drive anywhere, traffic is horrendous and there’s no quality of life.
‘It’s disgusting what is happening in London and what happened to me. Sadiq Khan is doing a terrible job and this huge increase in gun and knife crime is happening under his watch. It’s absolutely disgraceful.’
Cowell has left the capital after his family grew, meaning he needs more space to accomodate them.
But he had also been subject to a number of concerning incidents at his Holland Park property.
They included home invasions by two intruders — one of whom stole £1million in jewellery – and even flooding two years ago.
Just months ago it was alleged that a criminal gang had sold the exact lock to his front door — which horrified him.
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