TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson 'so sorry' for shoplifting

Cautioned: Worrall Thompson was arrested in front of customers after he took cheese and wine from Tesco in Henley
13 April 2012

Chef Antony Worrall Thompson apologised today and said he would seek treatment after being caught stealing cheese and wine from a Tesco supermarket.

The 60-year-old former star of Ready Steady Cook was cautioned by police after he was spotted shoplifting at the store in Henley-on-Thames five times in just 16 days.

On a secret camera, staff saw him slipping goods into bags in the self-checkout area without paying for them. Sources said the goods were "relatively low in value".

One said: "He was ordering blocks of cheese at the deli counter, taking bottles of wine, then putting some things through the scanner but walking out with the rest."

Today Worrall Thompson said: "I am so sorry for all my recent stupid and irresponsible actions; I am devastated for family and friends, whom I've let down, and will seek the treatment that is clearly needed. I am not the first and I certainly won't be the last person to do something without rhyme or reason. What went through my head, only time will tell.

"I must also apologise to Tesco, with whom I'm had a long working relationship, and to all the staff at the Henley branch, many of whom I've got to know over the years."

The chef was arrested in front of customers on Friday and taken to a local police station, where his photo, fingerprints and a DNA sample were obtained and a caution issued.

"They caught him on camera doing it more than once, but had to be 100 per cent sure it was not a genuine mistake before apprehending him. Because of his high profile the security staff could not afford to get it wrong," a source told the Sun.

He is said to have been questioned about alleged shoplifting from the store on five separate occasions: December 22, December 30, New Year's Eve, and last Thursday and Friday. He was given a formal caution covering all five offences, implying he must have admitted the crimes.

Although he will not have a criminal record, details will be stored on police files. In the Nineties, Worrall Thompson became a TV regular on BBC2's Food And Drink and Ready Steady Cook, after launching restaurants including Mènage à Trois in Knightsbridge, where Princess Diana was a customer. In 2003 he was on I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!

But the chef has suffered in the economic downturn and in 2009 shut four restaurants after going into administration. The father-of-four had to quit his £1.6 million home and lives in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, with third wife Jacinta, 46.

A spokesman for Thames Valley police said: "We arrested a 60-year-old man following a report of shoplifting. The man has been issued with a formal caution." Tesco did not comment.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in