Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright had to lock themselves in a bedroom of their £3.5m home when four masked raiders broke in, reports say.
The former Coronation Street actor, 37, and The Only Way Is Essex star, 38, are expecting their first child together, with Keegan heavily pregnant at the time of the break in.
The couple reportedly heard a window smash and an alarm go off and hid as police were alerted via a security system at just after 6am on Tuesday (18 February).
Four suspects “wearing balaclavas and dressed in black” were in Keegan and Wright’s home for roughly a minute but left when they heard Wright shouting, per The Sun.
Essex Police reportedly arrived at the mansion within eight minutes but the group had already fled the scene “empty handed in a getaway car”.
A source said: “It was a traumatic experience for both of them but they are relieved that neither of them were injured.”
They added: “It was a horrible thing to go through, particularly for someone who is heavily pregnant. They are understandably very shaken up by what happened.”
A camera is thought to have detected the group approaching the house and sent alerts to Keegan and Wright’s phones. The TOWIE star then heard a patio window smash and an alarm go off.
“Mark realised someone was breaking into the house. His first thoughts were for Michelle’s protection and he acted swiftly,” The Sun’s source added.
Wright and Keegan moved into the property just over two years ago, after purchasing the Essex mansion in 2019 for £1.3m.
The couple regularly share interior and exterior photos of their property to their home Instagram account, Wrightyhome, which has 663,000 followers.
Wright reportedly insisted a high-level security system be set up in the home. “He was keen to make sure the house was protected when he set up the Instagram page,” the source said.
An Essex Police spokesman said the force is still investigating the burglary.
“We are exploring a number of lines of inquiry including but not limited to forensic opportunities, CCTV and witness statements,” he told The Sun.
“Anyone with information should contact us as soon as possible.”
