WITH spiralling staircases, gold-tapped baths and a sprawling estate, Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan’s £3.5million mansion is a true showbiz palace.
In fact, since the TV couple snapped up their dream home in 2019, it has become practically a celebrity in its own right, boasting 663,000 followers on an Instagram page set up to show off their renovation efforts.
But now, after The Sun revealed a terrifying raid at the property, experts have warned it may not just be devoted fans who have been studying snaps of their lavish interiors, but hardened criminal gangs too.
Balaclava-clad robbers triggered an alarm as they booted in a side door at the mansion on Tuesday night before chasing TOWIE star Mark, 38, into a room, which he and heavily-pregnant Michelle, 37, “barricaded themselves” inside.
While the crooks thankfully didn’t manage to steal anything from the Essex pad, the terrifying incident comes after a number of warnings by fans who have shared their concerns on the account, wrightyhome, that the pictures could be "viewed by criminals".
While these well-meaning accounts can help keep fans up to date with stars' personal lives - and, of course, provide opportunities for the odd freebie or brand tie-up - at their worst they can be a modern 'shopping catalogue' for burglars.
Reformed gang enforcer and burglar Lennox Rodgers warns such Instagram trends can spark a feeding frenzy amongst criminals.
He tells The Sun: “Gangs are rubbing their hands together. It’s never been easier to rob celebrities and criminals are more desperate than ever.
“You can have all the cameras, the protection dog and everything but it won’t stop them. People want fast money and will do anything to get it.”
Lennox knows every trick in a burglar's playbook, having previously run with a crime gang who robbed banks, nightclubs, homes and warehouses.
He explains that celebrities are already “especially vulnerable” in the modern world, due to posting photos of themselves with designer clobber, luxury watches and expensive handbags.
But when they go one step further and invite people into their homes via social media or TV shows - especially like MTV Cribs or BBC's This Is MY House - it becomes especially dangerous.
Photographs of beautiful paintings on their walls and luxurious bedrooms help criminals figure out a floor plan of their homes, allowing them to map out where security cameras are and find weak spots to exploit.
Even the smallest details, such as a picture of a drain cover in the front garden, could turn a potential raid in their favour, thanks to a roster of crooked associates that can range from postmen to builders.
Lennox, for example, recalls paying off an engineer because he knew the right drain to lift to find wires for a venue’s security system to deliberately set off the alarms.
They knew the police would attend the scene and once they had left, the gang carried out their raid, knowing alarms couldn’t sound again.
Highly-organised gangs will often steal cars, art, jewellery and designer items to order for huge fees, says Lennox, who co-founded , which helps young people escape a life of crime.
He explains: “If a Ferrari is worth £200,000, I imagine the people actually stealing it will get about £50,000 and that will be shared around them.
“The person at the top will make the most and offer their little runners, the people that do the crime, a cut. They are paid a lot less, but it’s a lot of money for a few hours work.”
A particular vulnerability for celebrities is their associates and workers, who can supply valuable information to gangs.
Lennox warns “keep your workers happy” because during his gang days, they would regularly target disgruntled employees for information.
They had everyone from bouncers and security guards to passport officers, politicians and even the police on their payroll.
“I remember one job at a nightclub where the head bouncer told us which fire doors were unlocked, which allowed us to rob them easily,” he said.
“You have to keep your workforce happy because there are people out there scouting for people who aren’t and they will sell you to the devil for a pittance. Especially because they know it will never get back to their employers.”
Lennox says some gangs hang out at specific pubs - if they know a person or group drink there - to befriend the target and trick them into revealing information.
Other times, they can glean useful tidbits simply by sitting within earshot of conversations.
He notes that tradespeople, postal workers and delivery drivers could easily sell intel and while there is an “expected level of trust”, they are easily corrupted by £3,000-a-time payoffs.
Lennox adds: “They could even convince someone to wear some kind of body camera, you can get very small ones, which could film a celebrity’s home and all their valuables.”
Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan bought their Essex mansion for £1.3million back in 2019 and have undertaken extreme renovations since.
On a dedicated Instagram page, which has gained more than 600,000 followers, Mark told followers they could watch them "while we create our perfect home".
In posts, they have hosted polls where fans can vote on what design ideas they liked.
In November, they shared snaps of their huge two-person shower room, steam room and sauna, as well as a private bathroom with his and hers sinks.
They've posted pictures of their huge living room - which has been kitted out with high-end items - as well as a £30,000 pergola, a football pitch and a luxurious-looking pool with Love Island-style double beds around it.
But opening up their lives so extensively can be a 'gift to burglars', according to property advisor to the rich and famous Robin Edwards, who works for .
He tells The Sun that being "in an era where social media is king", celebs can use renovations to help their personal brands and finances, but it comes with "serious risks".
Robin says: "One of the biggest pitfalls is unintentionally revealing too much. Posting photos or videos can expose key details about a home’s layout, security features or even its location. Even something as simple as a reflection in a window, or a street sign in the background can be enough for someone to pinpoint an address.
"In some cases even the timing of posts can be risky. If a celebrity is posting holiday snaps in real-time, it’s a clear signal that their home is unoccupied."
Find out more about Robin's company here: .
He warns that even trusted figures, like police officers, are at an increased risk of being corrupted because of the cost of living crisis.
“A couple of years ago I saw police using food banks and thought, ‘Man, my gang would have rubbed their hands together knowing that’,” Lennox says.
“The public trust officers so think about all the intel they have. Someone who’s called to a crime scene after a robbery knows all the weak spots too and could set the celebrity up to be robbed again.”
Following Mark and Michelle's horror raid ex-Met detective chief inspector Mick Neville told The Sun: “The vast majority of people will look at an Instagram page for the right reasons.
“But if you are going to put your home in the public spotlight then there will be wicked people who try to take advantage of that."
Michelle and Mark are among a growing group of celebrities to launch home renovation Instagram pages, with other stars including Rochelle and Marvin Humes, Olivia Bowen and Ronan Keating.
The raid follows a worrying spate of celebrity home invasions that have targeted the likes of England footballer Jack Grealish.
Love Island’s David Sanclimenti also had £1million of valuables looted from his LA home in just six minutes and EastEnders favourite Jacqueline Jossa had £20,000 worth of cash and jewellery robbed from a Marbella villa.
Gangs are also resorting to ever-more extreme methods, too, as discovered by former BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw last August.
During a stay at a luxury Ibiza villa to celebrate his 40th birthday, a gang allegedly pumped sedative gas through air vents to knock out occupants - as part of one of “at least” 22 raids on the Spanish island
A source told The Sun it was “a case of wrong place at the wrong time” for Nick because the property was on a “target list, simply due to it being known for being used by high net worth clients”.
Ex-Formula 1 racer Jenson Button claimed crooks did the same to him to steal valuables worth £300,000, including a £250,000 engagement ring, in St Tropez back in 2015.
Three years later, Richard Hammond, known for Top Gear, was also stung in the French party hotspot, and they go away with jewellery and cash.
“Knockout gas is like something from a film,” Lennox tells us. “Such extreme measures show the lengths organised criminals are willing to go to.”
As a result of a spate of break-ins, some celebrities have resorted to purchasing protection dogs including Rio Ferdinand, Tyson Fury, Jack Grealish and Mark Cavendish.
But, while these menacing dogs - often, Cane Corsos, XL Bullies, Rottweilers and German Shepherds - cost up to £25,000 each, they are useless, according to Lennox.
He tells us: “If you’ve got something really valuable that a criminal organisation wants and they stand to make a lot of money from it, it doesn’t matter what animal guards your home. It won’t stop them.
“Some criminals are like dog whisperers who can deal with animals easily. Some will kill or poison your dog if needs be, because there’s big money to be made at the end of it.”
Lennox’s advice to celebrities is to keep expensive valuables away from their homes in a lock-up, to look into hiring security guards as they are less corruptible and to be careful about what they post online.
He says: “I’ve seen footballers, celebrities, film stars and ordinary people getting robbed. It’s a traumatic experience and criminals are very sophisticated with how they do it.
“Robbers will do absolutely anything and put themselves at risk - they will put their necks on the line to pull off a job if it’s well-paid enough.
“You can’t stop this type of crime, especially today with the cost of living crisis and people being made redundant, but you can make yourself less of a target and reduce your risk of being stung.”
For information about Lennox’s organisation or support visit:.
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