X Factor star ‘attacked and mugged’ in a terrifying incident
Bella Penfold - who shot to fame on The X Factor in 2018 - has told followers on social media that she was "attacked and mugged" in London.
The terrifying incident took place on Wednesday night (May 1) and Bella said her phone had been taken during the attack. The 25 year old singer - who competed on season 15 of the ITV show - explained she was left shaken and asked followers on Thursday to "please be patient with me".
She shared her Instagram: "Last night I was attacked and mugged in London. Phone was taken. All brands waiting on content, please be patient with me. Anyone who needs to contact me please message this account."
These days, Bella is a content creator and shares daily life updates on Instagram, but the star quickly became a fan favourite when she sang Fell In Love With A Boy by Joss Stone in her first X Factor audition. Bella then covered Same Love by Macklemore at her Judges House audition, and her performance of Blinded By Your Grace by Stormzy firmly won over Simon Cowell during the competition.
The star made her to the quarter finals, however, she was eliminated with the fewest public votes, finishing in 8th place. Music mogul Simon, 64, was left feeling devastated when she was eliminated but Bella took it all in her stride and, at the time, praised her fellow competitors, while thanking her mentor.
She said: "It wouldn't be the same without any of them. If there's one person in the room I've got to thank is Simon Cowell - he's really changed my life."
Simon recently revealed he would love to bring back the X Factor, but he said there would have to be some changes.
The singing competition was once the most successful programme in the country, with 14 million people tuning in during its peak. But Simon reckons that viewers lost interest in the show due to it losing some of its original identity over the years.
He told OK!: "I'm not sure when but it be great to have it back. I think it would be taken back to basics. When we first started, it was pretty uncomplicated, but over the years, too many elements were added; it lost its identity somewhere.”
