Cleo Rocos tells of how he fended off a knife-wielding attacker

Alan Carr saved the life of actress Cleo Rocos by fending off a knife-wielding attacker.

The comic and Celebrity Traitors winner tackled an assailant brandishing a ten-inch blade at his friend on a night out in Marrakesh. 

Cleo – best known for her work with Kenny Everett –  told The Sun the man darted out from the shadows and grabbed her arm.

She added: ‘I pushed him away but he grabbed me tighter and, in really bad English, said he wanted to be with me.

‘We didn’t think he was being serious but then he pulled a knife out.

‘Most people would have been terrified, but Alan was surprisingly calm.

‘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. 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.

‘But Alan had really knocked the wind out of him — he didn’t punch him or anything but he disarmed him and he was so brave in the way he handled it.

"That night could have gone terribly wrong, but Alan dealt with the situation so decisively — he literally saved my life…I’m so proud of him.’

The 63-year-old – who is now the driving force behind the tequila brand  AquaRiva – added that the comic was too ‘humble’ to mention the story himself, praising him for being ‘strong and chivalrous despite his nervous demeanour’.

On Celebrity Traitors, Carr won £87,500 for his chosen charity.  Neuroblastoma UK.

Published: 10 Nov 2025