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Formula One driver Jenson Button and his wife, Argentinian-Japanese model Jessica Michibata, were staying at their French holiday home in St Tropez with a group of friends accompanying them when burglars targeted the home, reports the BBC.
Button and his wife were asleep in bed when the burglary occurred, with the thieves making away with several valuables, most significantly among them the ring Button gave his wife when he proposed, which is estimated by the BBC to be worth around £250,000.
It is believed that the two thieves had been stkaing out the home prior to the robbery, and gassed the Buttons as they slept to ensure they would remain unconscious.
A statement from Button’s management said: “Jenson, Jessica and friends were on holiday in a rented villa in St Tropez when, on Monday evening, two men broke into the property while they all slept and stole a number of items of jewellery including, most upsettingly, Jessica’s engagement ring.”
This is not the first time a robbery like this has occurred in the French Riviera, with the spokeperson continuing:
“The police have indicated that this has become a growing problem in the region, with perpetrators going so far as to gas their proposed victims through the air conditioning units before breaking in. While unharmed, everyone involved is unsurprisingly shaken by the events.”
The area, popular with the rich and famous, is a significant destination for robberies.
McLaren driver Button and his wife Jessica Michibata were married in January this year following a 6-year relationship. He won the World Drivers’ Championship in 2009 with the now-defunct Brawn GP.
Button has not had a good racing season so far, with 4 retirements of 10 races so far and only two points finishes, both of them low. Currently partnered by two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, there are suggestions Button may retire from his 15-year Formula One career and take over co-hosting duties for popular motoring show Top Gear with British radio DJ Chris Evans, who himself replaced host Jeremy Clarkson following the latter’s sacking by the BBC after he assaulted a producer.
