Jodie Turner-Smith robbed by 'Curse of Cannes' jewel thieves in breakfast heist
At the Cannes Film Festival, actress Jodie Turner-Smith became the victim of jewel theft on Friday, July 9. A local French news outlet reported that the theft occurred on Friday, sometime between 12 pm and 2 pm, in the actress’ room at the Marriott hotel on the Croisette. The sources also estimated that the value of the jewels was in the tens of thousands of dollars.
No signs of a break-in were reportedly found in the room, which was accessible by magnetic keycard. Sources close to Turner-Smith told Variety that the actor had been at breakfast on Friday when robbers broke into her room. The sources said that one of the stolen items was her mother’s wedding ring.
READ MORE
The true story behind Henri Charrière, the French convict who is the inspiration behind 'Papillon'
Turner-Smith, who was in Cannes with her one-year-old daughter, was immediately moved from the Marriott to the Majestic hotel, a few blocks down the Croisette, and was given a large security detail, which has been accompanying her everywhere. Variety reported that it’s believed Turner-Smith may have been targeted after wearing gold and diamond jewelry from the Gucci High Jewelry line to the ‘After Yang’ premiere on Thursday night. The report said that while the jewelry was immediately taken back following the premiere, the robbers may have broken into Turner-Smith’s room believing the items were still in her possession. Despite the traumatic episode, Turner-Smith reportedly carried on with her scheduled appearances and work at Cannes.
What is the 'Curse of Cannes'?
The Paris-based Agence France-Presse said that Turner-Smith had “fallen victim to the curse of Cannes” in its report. What is this curse? Well, quite simply, it's the city's scourge – jewel thieves. High-value jewel thefts are reportedly a recurring dark side to an otherwise glamorous city. In 2013, an armed man stole jewels worth about 40 million euros ($53 million) at a jewelry exhibition at the Carlton Hotel. This was not the first such experience at this very hotel. In 1994, gunmen burst into its jewelry store just as it was closing and made off with jewels then valued at $77 million.
At the 2013 festival, $1.4 million worth of Chopard jewels were lifted from the safe in the Suite Novotel Cannes Centre room of a Chopard employee. The suspect was able to get to the safe through an adjoining room with a connecting door. The jewelry was in Cannes to be loaned to several Hollywood stars walking the red carpet that year. The same year, a necklace by Swiss jeweler De Grisogono reportedly worth 1.9 million euros ($2.5 million) vanished after a celebrity party at a five-star hotel in the resort town of Cap d'Antibes. Earlier that week, more than 777,000 euros ($1 million) worth of jewels were taken from the hotel room of an employee of exclusive Swiss jewelers Chopard. In 2015, four armed men walked into the Cartier store in Cannes and, in a little under ten minutes, they reportedly left with at least 17.5 million euros ($ 20.7 million) worth of jewels.