Kirsty Gallacher’s boyfriend leads chorus of outrage at Sadiq Khan after TV star was ‘kicked like a football’ during mugging in lawless London

Kirsty Gallacher’s boyfriend led the chorus of anger at Sadiq Khan after the TV presenter was violently attacked in central London.

Darren Clayton expressed his anger about the attack on Instagram, telling the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police they needed to ‘take a long look at themselves’.

The 39-year-old wrote: ‘I’m so incredibly proud of my amazing woman who stood up for what was right.

‘A warning to the parasite who thinks it’s okay to defy him: I wish you good luck, because your days are numbered. You’ve definitely met the wrong woman.

‘@Mayorofldn and @metpolice_uk you really need to take a long look at yourselves.’

She also added this short quote to the top of the post: ‘Sometimes an angel, sometimes a hell raiser, always a strong woman.’

The couple, who have been together for almost a year and a half, talked last month about their blended family and their hopes of getting engaged soon.

Clayton’s comments were echoed by many of Gallacher’s famous friends, including Paddy McGuinness, Kate Garraway and Ben Shepherd, who rallied around him after the horrific incident.

The former Sky Sports News presenter revealed he was ‘kicked like a football’ during the unprovoked attack as he walked towards his car.

In the video he shared on Instagram, he couldn’t hold back his tears and explained how a man “dressed in black and covered up” attacked him around 19:00 on Tuesday evening.

“I was physically attacked last night while walking to my car from work through the streets of central London, which is the walk I take most nights,” Gallacher said. ‘The streets are well lit. There were people around.

‘I was walking down the pavement and I noticed this man in all black was actually walking towards me. And I’m always on guard. He was walking towards me, so I moved out of the way, and then he passed me.

‘He turned around and kicked me like I was kicking a football. Last night around seven o’clock he kicked me in the middle of the street in front of people, so I turned around and he ran away.’

Gallacher added that he was ‘still in shock’ from the attack and cited bruises as evidence.

The 49-year-old TV star and the 39-year-old former rugby player have been together for about a year and a half after meeting through mutual friends.

Darren Clayton (left) expressed his anger about the attack on Instagram, slamming London officials and Mayor Sadiq Khan

Kirsty thanked her friends and followers for their ‘love and support’ in a new post today

‘I can’t quite believe what happened. I did not act provocatively in any way. I was minding my business like you. ‘I was walking towards my car to return home to my family.’

The broadcaster said he was ‘very disappointed’ at the inaction of a nearby security guard, describing him as ‘absolutely useless’. However, he thanked a woman who came to his aid.

‘Luckily I had some witnesses, some cute girls saw this and came to my aid,’ he explained.

‘There was a security guard on a door nearby who was useless and didn’t do anything, which was a huge disappointment… I couldn’t believe that someone, a stranger, for whatever reason, could decide whether he had a problem with women, whether he was just an opportunist, whether he didn’t like me, and now, he thought of letting you. And that’s not true.’

Kirsty thanked her friends and followers for their ‘love and support’ in a new post today.

She wrote on Instagram: ‘Just a quick note to say a huge thank you for all your love and support, it means the world to me and clearly most of you agree things need to change.

‘I told this incident to raise awareness. This kind of behavior is not right. There needs to be a stronger police presence on the streets of London, especially at night, for me it just wasn’t there. Luckily it wasn’t a more serious attack.’

Commenting on the shocking post, Paddy McGuinness wrote: ‘Hope you’re okay love?’

Other famous friends followed up with Kate Garraway commenting: ‘This is awful, I’m so sorry, it’s so brave of you to share such an important message but I hope you’re okay.’

‘Kirsty I’m so sorry to hear this. Sending tons of love and support,’ Ben Shepherd added.

Kirsty said she decided to speak out about the attack because she believed this type of violence had become commonplace in London.

Boxer Carl Froch said: ‘It’s a shame! I wish I was there, he can’t escape when he loses consciousness.

‘London’s streets will be much safer with @antmiddleton as Mayor. Until then please be more careful and I hope you are feeling better now x.’

TV presenter Lisa Snowdon also wrote in response: ‘Oh Kirsty, I’m so angry and completely devastated that this happened to you. This is so scary. ‘I give you a big hug, my love.’

Jenni Falconer added: ‘Kirsty, this is awful. I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this. And it’s not okay. I love you very much.’

London is Europe’s 15th most dangerous city for crime, according to Numbeo’s Crime Index, as concerns about a rising epidemic of violence, burglaries and robberies continue to grow.

Kirsty said she decided to speak out about the attack because she believed this type of violence had become common in London.

The capital, which also ranks 100th worst out of 385 locations in the world, is less safe than rival European cities, from Athens to Brussels, Milan to Barcelona.

London is also worse off than major US cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, as well as other global destinations from Cancun to Cairo, Bali to Bangalore.

But the city is the fifth worst place for crime in the UK, behind Bradford, Coventry, Birmingham and Manchester.

The data, compiled from global survey responses and updated regularly since 2012, ranks London particularly poorly in four out of 15 categories.

These are the ‘crime level’ of the capital; ‘crime has increased in the last five years’; ‘problem people using or dealing drugs’; and ‘safe walking alone during the night’.

Former GB News presenter Kirsty said: ‘It’s really sad that this is what’s happening on the streets of London and it’s very real. And we all hear that, don’t we all hear that, Oh yeah, you know, be careful. Don’t take out your phone.

‘And people unfortunately, you know, get attacked or worse, terrible, terrible things happen and you always think it can’t happen to me.

‘And that was me. I thought I was too careful. I am very careful. I’m very careful about where I walk and how I walk and, you know, I make sure I don’t have my phone in my hand, I have a crossbody bag and I don’t leave anything exposed, but I really couldn’t have done more to protect myself. And yet this happened to me.

‘Someone decided to give me a good kick in the street and I really wanted to share it with you because it happens all the time and it’s not good and it’s okay and I really want you to be careful and alert and look after yourself and those around you.

‘And I’m so grateful to those lovely girls. I hope they see this, they might, but thank you because you’re amazing.

‘Because I didn’t know what to do at that moment, I was shocked. I’ve never experienced anything like this and I just wanted to share and really just say stay safe. You may not think this could happen to you, but it could happen to you too.’

Explaining the attack on Instagram, she said: ‘I was physically attacked while walking to my car from work through the streets of central London last night.’

Kirsty, who has two sons Oscar, 18, and Jude, 15, from her marriage to former rugby star Paul Sampson, was arrested for drink driving in Eton, Berkshire, in 2017. He was subsequently banned from driving for two years. He was found to be more than three times the legal alcohol limit, with a reading of 106 micrograms per 100ml of breath.

Matt Goodwin, senior visiting professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, wrote in the Daily Mail in June: ‘London is over. ‘It’s over now.’

He cited data showing that more than 70,000 phones were stolen in London last year and there were 90,000 thefts in the capital, a 54 per cent increase.

Professor Goodwin reported that there is now an alleged rape every hour in London, and that sexual crimes against women and girls have increased by 14 per cent in five years, while homelessness and rough sleeping have increased by 26 per cent in one year.

Meanwhile, a police expert told the Daily Mail that London was a ‘crime-ridden cesspit’.

Former New Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley said the force was now so stretched in the West End that private security companies had been called in to help.

He condemned the ‘crime epidemic’ in London, ranging from pickpocketing to violence, ticket smuggling and robbery, adding that it was ‘driving people away from the capital’.