Tom Cruise left his £35m Knightsbridge apartment because he believes the area is no longer safe, it has been claimed.
The Hollywood actor, 63, is said to have left the central London flat after thieves wielding claw-hammers and machetes targeted a Rolex store nearby.
Security guards tried to stop the raid by the attackers on motorbikes. However, the gang seized 20 watches, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, in the daylight raid on Jan 20.
A source close to Cruise told the Daily Mail: “The over-aggressive attack on the store below cemented the lack of security surrounding the multi-million pound flats where Cruise lives.
“He often loved to take a walk around the area but it seems like Knightsbridge is becoming less safe by the week. He just felt the area has declined in the past year or two.”
The actor was known to go on early morning runs in Hyde Park, which is opposite the building he lived in.
Staff at the apartment block were reported to have been seen removing boxes of possessions. A source said: “It all happened very quickly, it was a surprise to the staff at the building where his penthouse is. It’s most strange.”
Credit: X / @CrimeLdn
The motorbike attackers are understood to have arrived at the Bucherer Rolex Boutique by using parallel roads before converging on the store.
A worker at a nearby hotel, who witnessed the raid, said two riders sped by him as he took a cigarette break near South Carriage Drive, next to Hyde Park.
They are said to have taken a small through-road, used by pedestrians, named Serpentine Walk, in order to meet their fellow attackers, who arrived at the target shop from the main Knightsbridge road.
Knightsbridge feels ‘under threat’
Marcel Knobil, a brand expert, told the Daily Mail that some of London’s most exclusive areas “have really suffered from a truly deteriorating perception”.
“Knightsbridge is a location built on characteristics such as glamour, wealth and prestige, and so safety is very much expected and anticipated,” he said.
“When safety appears to be under threat, then this impacts massively on the image of a location. Glamour and prestige can be very fragile and can easily be shattered.
“When major crimes and muggings on a mammoth scale are reported, property prices will fall, and retailers will eventually feel it.
“I’ve heard from high street estate agents that there are an increasing amount of abandoned homes in London with rusting ‘for sale’ signs.”
“The personalities that roam the streets of Knightsbridge, such as Tom Cruise or Madonna, really help to build the glamorous image of London and makes it more attractive as a place.”
The daylight Rolex raid came just weeks after Loro Piana, a luxury Italian fashion brand a short walk from Harrods, was looted after a car was crashed into the front of the shop. Clothing and handbags were stolen and the suspects fled before officers arrived.
Police are still investigating and no arrests have yet been made.
Last year, 24-year-old Blue Stevens was stabbed to death near The Park Tower Knightsbridge hotel, just a stone’s throw from the Rolex store.
During November, a total of 295 offences were reported in Knightsbridge and Belgravia, with a third of the incidents taking place near Harrods.
The Telegraph has contacted Cruise’s representatives for comment.
