EXCLUSIVEEx-Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw and his 81-year-old mother are sedated by criminal gang who broke into their Ibiza villa in hazmat suits after pumping gas inside
Nick Grimshaw and his 81-year-old mother were gassed as they slept before raiders ransacked their rented holiday apartment in Ibiza, MailOnline can reveal.
The former Radio One DJ had rented the villa to celebrate his 40th birthday with his family.
Their holiday apartment was targeted by the gang who have hit a number of properties occupied by wealthy tourists on the island since last year.
The gang pumped a sedative gas into the property where the star was sleeping - and waited for it to take effect before they broke in wearing hazmat suits and turned the villa over.
No one is said to have been hurt in the incident, although it is believed some items were stolen in the raid.
Nick Grimshaw and his 81-year-old mother Eileen were sedated by a criminal gang in Ibiza and terrorised in his villa (Pictured in London in February 2017)
He jetted out to Ibiza to celebrate his 40th birthday this month. Grimmy was pictured on the Spanish island last week enjoying an ice cream
The gang waited for the gas to take effect then broke in wearing hazmat suits and turned the villa over (Grimshaw pictured enjoying a night out with friends in Ibiza last week)
A source said the gang would have had no idea who Grimshaw was but the villa was on a target list as it was known to be 'used by high net worth clients'.
'Sadly it's a case of the wrong place at the wrong time but it's scary to say the least,' they said.
'Nick was obviously upset but thought best to keep things off social media.'
Grimshaw was last week pictured in Ibiza enjoying a night out with his niece Liv and fiance Mesh Henry where they ate ice creams.
In another snap he lovingly shares a kiss with his model fiance, who has his arm placed tenderly on his shoulder.
The former Radio 1 host stars alongside Liv on Celebrity Gogglebox with his niece an assistant in merchandise for online fashion brand PrettyLittleThing.
In July, Grimshaw posted a slew of snaps from his trip, showing him partying and posing with friends.
He captioned the post: 'If football's coming home maybe no one will notice if I just….. stay here.'
Grimshaw became a household name in 2012 when he replaced the long-standing Chris Moyles as host of Radio 1 Breakfast show.
He went on to star on the X Factor in 2015 where he took over from Louis Walsh as a judge, however his tenure only lasted one series.
He has also appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox alongside his niece Liv, as well as the Stand Up to Cancer specials and in 2021 he appeared as a contestant on The Great British Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer.
Grimshaw pictured with his niece Liv, who he stars alongside on Celebrity Gogglebox, and his fiance Mesh Henry during a night out in Ibiza last week
In July, Grimshaw posted a slew of snaps from his trip, showing him partying and posing with friends
Grimshaw shares a kiss with his fiance Mesh during a night out in Ibiza last week
Grimshaw (pictured with his fiance Mesh Henry in June attending the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition in London) was unhurt in the gassing
A source said the gang would have had no idea who Grimshaw (pictured last week in Ibiza with his fiance) was but the villa was on a target list as it was known to be 'used by high net worth clients'
Grimshaw and his family were in 'the wrong place at the wrong time'. He is now said to be back in London
The Celebrity Gogglebox star was said to be 'obviously upset but thought best to keep things off social media'
Grimshaw is not the first celebrity to have been gassed by gangs with Richard Hammond and Jenson Button revealing their ordeals in the past.
However, medical experts in 2015 cast doubts over claims that Button and his ex-wife Jessica were gassed as they slept during a raid on their French villa.
The pair were with friends in St Tropez when thieves broke in and stole valuables worth £300,000 including her engagement ring, believed to be worth £250,000.
It was claimed the former Formula One driver and Jessica may have been knocked out by gas pumped into the house through air conditioning units.
A source close to Button said the Grand Prix star was 'convinced' that's what happened.
They added that Button and his friends weren't disturbed during the raid as the effects of the gas gave the burglars 'free rein'.
However, Liam Brennan, vice president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, poured scorn on the idea.
In the past year the RCA has issued statements claiming stories of tourists being gassed in their caravans and motor-homes were a myth.
Dr Brennan said in 2015: 'I cannot think of any agent that could be used in this way that could be delivered in an effective concentration into a large environment to produce the effect desired.'
Medical experts in 2015 cast doubts over claims that Jenson Button and his ex-wife Jessica were gassed as they slept during a raid on their French villa (The couple pictured here in September 2009)
Richard Hammond and his wife Mindy, pictured together in 2017, said they were gassed before being burgled as they slept while on holiday in St Tropez in 2018
Former Top Gear host Hammond and his wife Mindy were gassed before they were burgled as they slept in their St Tropez villa in 2018.
Hammond, Mindy, and 15 other guests were targeted by raiders who used anaesthetic gas to knock them out before rifling through rooms for cash and jewellery.
She revealed that she almost walked in on the burglars after hearing a noise in the hallway - but instead turned away after assuming it was another couple in the villa.
Mindy told the Express at the time: 'That just makes my blood run cold. I could have easily walked in and it could have been unpleasant.'
Grimshaw announced his 'surprise' engagement to long-term boyfriend Meshach Henry in 2022.
The former E4 presenter revealed that year that Henry had been trying to pop the question for a month but had been put off by the star's mood swings.
The couple had planned to wed this summer, but Grimshaw told The Mirror it's 'TBC' and will 'probably not be this year'.
'We get a little excited about it, then we just forget about it for six weeks,' he said.
'Someone asked "aren't you getting married?" and I'm like "oh s**t yes we are".'
