Celebrity Traitors star Alan Carr saved friend’s life after warding off armed thug

Comedian’s friend Cleo Rocos hailed his bravery during a frightening incident in Morocco

A friend of Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr has recalled how the comedian “saved her life” after warding off an armed assailant.

Actor Cleo Rocos, who is best known for her role on The Kenny Everett Television Show, recalled how Carr fended off an attacker holding a knife when the pair were on holiday in Morocco.

Rocos, 63, told The Sun that she and Carr, 49, were on a night out in Marrakesh when a man grabbed her arm then pulled out a knife.

“I pushed him away but he grabbed me tighter and, in really bad English, he said he wanted to be with me,” she said.

“We didn’t think he was being serious but then he pulled a knife out. It was probably about 10 inches long.”

Rocos said that Carr remained “surprisingly calm” despite the frightening situation, and put himself between her and the attacker.

Carr’s actions were described as ‘so brave’ by his friend Rocos (Getty Images)

“Most people would have been terrified, but Alan was surprisingly calm,” she explained.

“He pulled me to the other side of him, so he was standing between me and the man, and he said, ‘Don’t be so rude’.

“Before the man could react, he slapped the knife out of his hand. The man wasn’t expecting that and I was shocked.

Rocos was on holiday with Carr when the terrifying incident took place (Getty Images)

“We walked off at a pace and we kept looking behind us wondering if this man was going to come at us again with the knife.”

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Carr, she added, “had really knocked the wind out of” the attacker. “He didn’t punch him or anything but he disarmed him and he was so brave in the way he handled it,” she clarified.

“That night could have gone terribly wrong, but Alan dealt with the situation so decisively – he literally saved my life.”

On Thursday (6 November), Carr was crowned as the first winner of The Celebrity Traitors after managing to convince fellow players Nick Mohammed and David Olusoga that he was a Faithful – only to reveal that he had in fact been a Traitor since the start of the competition.

The comedian and presenter has donated his £87,500 prize winnings to Neuroblastoma UK, a charity dedicated to supporting children with a rare form of cancer.

Carr has been a patron of the organisation for nine years, and was hailed by the charity for his “commitment, compassion and drive to bring hope to children and families facing this aggressive cancer”.