Kate Copstick said she was put in a choke hold by two men in balaclavas who took £8,500 from her bag.
An actress was attacked outside her home by two men in balaclavas who stole £8,500 in charity money she had raised.
Kate Copstick, from Glasgow, was a short distance from her property in Shepherd’s Bush, London, when the men ran after her on Saturday.
The 66-year-old said they put her in a chokehold and kicked her to the ground while trying to grab her bag.
It contained an envelope of money for the charity Mama Biashara which helps women in poverty in Kenya.
Ms Copstick has worked as an actress, presenter and comedian, working on children’s TV shows Playschool and No.73 in the 1980s and ChuckleVision in the 1990s.
She is also a veteran comedy critic for The Scotsman newspaper.
Speaking to the BBC about the incident over the weekend, she said she was walking down the street when she heard people running towards her.
As she turned, she said she saw men wearing balaclavas and dressed entirely in black.
“I ended up on the ground and they just wouldn’t let go until they ripped the back pack off me,” she told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme.
“My phone was on the ground, there were little bits of cash on the ground, my bank cards – but they wouldn’t let go.”
‘I won’t be walking home’
Ms Copstick set up the charity Mama Biashara in 2008 and works with Kenyan women who face extreme poverty.
It gives small grants to women who are able to set up businesses and has also built a children’s home and supported water-harvesting solutions in regions hit by drought.
However Ms Copstick said she had experienced problems sending money to the country, which was why she was carrying cash.
She was due to travel to the country on Monday and has gone ahead with her journey – though she added: “I won’t be walking home for quite some time.”
Ms Copstick said she reported the matter to police. Meanwhile a fundraising page set up by friends following the incident has since raised more than £11,500.
The Metropolitan Police said they attended at about 20:30, and inquiries into the circumstances continue, “including work to secure any viable CCTV evidence”.
Anyone with information on the incident has been urged to contact them via 101.