Model Penny Lancaster has revealed how she stood her ground when a desperate ‘drug addict’ threatened to stab her.
The Loose Women panelist, 47, will be seen carrying out police duties for upcoming Channel 4 show Famous & Fighting Crime, in which Penny and celebs such as Katie Piper, Marcus Brigstocke and Jamie Laing patrol the streets.
Joining the Cambridgeshire Constabulary – one of the busiest police forces in the country – the famous faces respond to real emergency calls and keep the peace in rowdy city centres during the four-part series.
And unarmed Penny, whose husband is Rod Stewart, fends off a suspected shoplifter in Peterborough in some of the show’s most stunning scenes.
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Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine, Penny admitted she was ‘terrified’ by the encounter, which occurred when she found herself split off from another special officer after they decided to head off in different directions to track two separate suspects.
Describing her target as “like a rabid animal”, Penny said the threat to stab her left her feeling like she was in a different reality.
She explained: ”Mine was under the influence. She looked like I imagine a druggie would look, almost like a rabid animal. You want to help a rabid animal but you don’t want to get bitten.
“When she said she was going to stab me, there was that pause, as if I was playing Fortnite with my kids, like I was in charge of a video game console.”
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Going on to detail how she was threatened with the needle of her assailant’s syringe, Penny acknowledged she felt vulnerable in the moment even though she was wearing stab vest.
However, Penny was not carrying a baton, a Taser or mace spray to deter the woman – and couldn’t even place her in handcuffs, even though she made noises about doing so.
Luckily, it wasn’t long before officers replied to Penny’s call for back up on her radio. However, the “surreal” experience did leave her in two minds about how police tackle similar problems, and as shock settled in Penny shook uncontrollably.
Despite feeling “comfortable” with the steps she had to take to deter the woman, Penny also admitted she couldn’t help thinking about her family – and that she shouldn’t be part of such a dangerous situation.
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