Phil Collins and wife mugged

Phil Collins and his wife have been mugged while Christmas shopping with their son in the West End.

The rock star was making a rare visit to London from his £10million home in Geneva with his third wife, Swissborn Orianne, 30, and twoyearold Nicholas.

The muggers snatched Mrs Collins's purse from her handbag on Saturday afternoon and stripped it of cash and credit cards before dumping it in a back street.

The purse and what remained of its contents were found by Westminster council "city guardians" who returned it through the Swiss consulate.

The family were in London for the premiere of the children's film Brother Bear at the Warner West End in Leicester Square on Sunday night. Former Genesis drummer Collins, 51, who is worth £115 million, wrote the film's soundtrack. He made no mention of the theft at the premiere. Collins's spokeswoman said today: "A thief stole Orianne's purse from her handbag while they were shopping in Regents Street. Those are all the details we know.

"They are currently flying to LA, so we have been unable to speak to them about it." The attack comes as Scotland Yard launches a clampdown on criminals preying on shoppers over the Christmas period. Operation Cratchet is targeting pickpockets, bag-snatchers and shoplifters.

Mrs Collins's purse, which still contained some bank cards, was found later on Saturday by guardians Alan Auchterloine and Sabah Boulakhra, who took it to a police station.

Collins's secretary phoned and thanked them the next day. Yesterday a large food hamper arrived with the message: "Dear Alan and Sabah, thank you for saving my life - I will always be grateful. Have a lovely Christmas. Kind regards, Orianne Collins."

Mr Auchterloine said: "It's always nice to be thanked. We'd do the same for everybody."

Collins married Orianne in 1999, five years after meeting her while on tour in Switzerland. At the time he was married to second wife Jill. The couple now live in Jackie Stewart's old house by a lake.

Other celebrities who have been mugged in London recently include pop duo the Cheeky Girls, who were thrown to the pavement by a thief in Oxford Street last week.

Three years ago, muggers punched Collins's 85-year-old mother June outside the stage school she runs in East Acton.