British TV Chef Antony Worrall Thompson Seeks Treatment for Shoplifting, Blames Stress

LONDON – British TV chef Antony WorrallThompson said he will start psychiatric treatment after being arrested for multiple counts of stealing cheese and wine at Tesco.

The popular TV host of such shows as Ready Steady Cook and Saturday Kitchen, told the Daily Express that he was “at a loss” to explain his shoplifting behavior and needed specialist treatment to help understand why he had stolen apparently mundane items.

“There is absolutely no reason. I’m totally at a loss, totally embarrassed…because the amounts I took weren’t even big. All of it together added up to under £100 ($164).”

Worrall Thompson was arrested at the Thame, Oxfordshire branch of Tesco and was charged with multiple counts of shoplifting after being observed bagging items at the self-service checkout without scanning or paying for them.

The behavior had been observed five times in the space of a few days, with stolen items including two cartons of discounted coleslaw, three onions, a newspaper, a sandwich, a number of bottles of wine and packets of cheese.

Worrall Thompson, whose warm and cheery TV style has earned him many fans, said he was not seeking to excuse his behavior.

“I have to own up to it because it wasn’t just a mistake… I’ve got to face up to it and that means seeking help – psychiatric help. I have asked myself so many questions. Was it a cry for help? I have been under incredible stress.”

Worrall Thompson issued an apology to his friends and family, as well as to the supermarket chain, when news of his arrest was published Monday.

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