Reality television personality Amy Childs has spoken publicly for the first time after her luxury Essex mansion was targeted by burglars while she and her family were on holiday. The property, valued at approximately £1.7 million, was reportedly ransacked during the break.

Amy Childs Addresses Burglary on Instagram

The former star of ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ (TOWIE), aged 36, took to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday to share her distress over the incident. Childs expressed her devastation at the burglary but conveyed immense gratitude that no family members were present when the break-in occurred. She posted a message thanking her followers for their concern, stating, “Many of you have reached out after hearing what happened, so I just wanted to say thank you. Unfortunately, our home was burgled while we were away. We’re devastated, but so thankful that no one was in the house and everyone is safe.” She added that the family is taking time to process the event and appreciates the supportive messages received.

Childs was on holiday with her husband, Billy Delbosq, 43, and their four children at the time of the incident. The couple are parents to two-year-old twins Billy and Millie. Childs also has an eight-year-old daughter, Polly, from a previous relationship, and a seven-year-old son, Ritchie, with another former partner.

Details of the Burglary

Sources close to the situation described the scene upon the family’s return as chaotic. “Amy and her family returned from holiday to find that thieves had broken into her home and completely trashed the place,” a source told The Sun. “She’s absolutely heartbroken. She is just grateful that she and the kids were away when it happened, because it would have been terrifying if they had been there when the burglars came.”

The extent of the damage and what items were stolen are still being assessed, as the house was reportedly left in disarray. Police and forensic teams were called to the property to investigate the break-in. A representative for Amy Childs confirmed the burglary, emphasizing that the primary concern was the safety of the family: “No one was hurt which is the main thing. The police are all over it.”

Celebrity Homes Targeted by Thieves

Amy Childs’ mansion is the latest in a series of high-profile homes to be targeted by burglars. Other celebrities, including Megan McKenna and Michelle Keegan alongside Mark Wright, have also reportedly had their homes broken into in recent times.

Megan McKenna’s Traumatic Break-in Experience

The incident involving Childs brings to light similar experiences faced by other public figures. Notably, fellow TOWIE star Megan McKenna recently shared details of a terrifying burglary at her former UK home, which occurred two years prior. This event was a significant factor in her decision to relocate to Germany, where she now splits her time with her footballer partner, Oliver Burke.

McKenna, 33, recounted the harrowing experience on the “Great Company With Jamie Laing” podcast. She described waking up to find her home being violently invaded by three masked intruders armed with machetes and baseball bats. The burglars reportedly attempted to break through a wall into her dressing room, which was connected to her bedroom.

Recalling the terrifying moments, McKenna said, “I get goose pimples now thinking about it. They were inside my house, but I lock my bedroom door every night because I always worry about something happening to me when I’m on my own.” She described the sounds of the break-in, including the mirror being torn from her wall and the hacking sounds as they breached the wall. She stated, “The next thing I know, my mirror has come off my wall, and they’re hacking a hole through my wall with a baseball bat.”

McKenna explained that she contacted the police, who arrived within minutes. However, she felt compelled to confront the intruders herself. “I was naked. I was talking to this man in a balaclava, and he grabbed my hand and he took jewellery off of me,” she recounted, detailing how she feared for her dog’s safety and approached the men despite being advised by police not to engage.

The experience left McKenna feeling profoundly unsafe in her own home. “I was like, ‘I’m not safe in my own home.’ The police were amazing at the time, but I was then going through IVF to have [her son] Landon, and they wanted me to go on trial. And I just said to them, like, I actually can’t physically do that. Go through it. They got caught, and then they went on trial, and and then a year later, they just got let out. They’re just roaming the roads.” This traumatic event significantly impacted her sense of security and contributed to her decision to move abroad.

Conclusion

The burglary at Amy Childs’ home serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of even high-value properties to criminal activity. While the family is safe, the emotional and material impact of such an invasion is significant. The incident also highlights a concerning trend of high-profile residences being targeted, prompting discussions about security measures and the lasting effects of such traumatic experiences on victims.