No big spending as Shirley Bassey is robbed

Singer Shirley Bassey says Britain has changed for the worse after a pickpocket stole her cash-filled purse during a Christmas shopping expedition in an exclusive part of London - reports Brisbane Times

"It was all rather nerve-racking," the Daily Mail newspaper quoted her as saying.

"I was Christmas shopping in Knightsbridge with my daughter Sharon. We'd been into Harvey Nichols [department store] to find some presents.

"Somebody must have seen all the money and cards when I opened my bag to pay and followed me. I felt a bump but nothing more than that. And when I opened my bag at the next shop, there was no purse." Bassey, 70, is best known for her big production numbers of the 1960s, like Big Spender and Diamonds Are Forever and other James Bond movie theme songs.

She now resides in Monaco and only rarely visits Britain.

"This isn't England any more - at least it is not the country I remember growing up in," she said. "You don't hear English spoken here.

"You read about terrible things - not just drugs but all the killings.

"When you live in a safe place like Monte Carlo, you can walk home at any time of the night and you don't have to worry. I don't feel at risk there.

"If I drive myself, I can leave the car doors unlocked. I wouldn't do that in London."

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