Jamie Oliver insists he wasn’t being "brave" when he chased and apprehended a would-be burglar.
The 43-year-old chef was praised by neighbours for his "heroic" antics last week when he caught a man trying to break into his house, but he insists he had no choice but to do react to the situation.
He told reporters: "[I was lucky] to be there to stop something from getting much much worse.
"I didn’t really have a choice, so it wasn’t really about bravery – it was a very odd and unfortunate grabbing scenario."
Despite Jamie’s comments, residents in Highgate, north London praised the ‘Jamie Cooks Italy’ star – who has five children, Poppy, 16, Daisy, 15, Petal, nine, Buddy, seven, and two-year-old River, with wife Jools – for his "selfless" behaviour.
A source recently said: "It was just a brave, selfless thing to do.
"Despite the clearly very hairy situation, Jamie was laughing and joking with the coppers saying they’d done a great job to arrive so quickly after the 999 call.
"Everyone is really thankful for his quick thinking and courage."
Jamie was at home with his family when he confronted the would-be burglar last Tuesday (04.09.18).
The source said: "Jamie was alerted to something wrong when he heard a massive commotion coming from his neighbour’s house.
"He was set to investigate but before he knew it, he was face to face with the burglar himself as he tried to smash his way into his house as well.
"Jamie went absolutely mad and sprinted after the man down the street before catching up with him and pinning him down to the floor."
Police confirmed an "aggressive man" was arrested but later released without charge.
A spokesperson said: "At 7.13pm on Tuesday, September 4, police were called to reports of an aggressive male attempting to gain entry to residential addresses in N6.
"The male was apprehended by members of the public and was subsequently detained by police.
"He was taken to a north London police station and was subsequently released with no further action."
Jamie Oliver plays down bravery
