Minnelli escapes honeymoon robbery

Newlywed Minelli has overcome a series of health problems in recent years

LONDON, England -- Robbers tried to snatch a diamond necklace from Liza Minnelli while she was honeymooning in London with her new husband David Gest, her spokesman said.

The U.S. entertainer had just given a television interview in West London and the couple were leaving the studios as three young robbers tried to grab the necklace she was wearing through the open window of her limousine.

"They were stopped at a traffic light and Miss Minnelli's car window was open," her spokesman told Reuters.

"One of the youths put his hand in and her first reaction was that he was an autograph hunter."

The driver of her car managed to close the window as he realised what was going on.

The intruder then tried to pull open the door. But the driver speed up before they could get inside.

The spokesman said: "She was wearing a diamond necklace and this was what must have caught their eye."

Minnelli, 56, and Gest, 48, who married in New York last Saturday, were unscathed and returned to their hotel before they joined British model Sophie Dahl for dinner.

Police said the incident had not been reported to them.

There has been a rise in street crime in Britain and in particularly in London where offences have risen 40 percent in the past year alone.

The spokesman said the couple would continue their honeymoon in London for a few days and then return to America.

"Both David and Liza love London and weren't aware that these sort of things happen here. They have put the incident behind them now," he said.

A crowd of celebrities, including Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor and Sir Elton John, were present at last weeks wedding between Minnelli -- daughter of Hollywood actress Judy Garland -- and concert promoter Gest.

The 56-year-old star won an Oscar for her role in the musical "Cabaret" in 1972 but in recent years she has suffered from of a series of health problems.

She has undergone hip replacements and back surgery, struggled with weight problems and viral encephalitis -- which is a potentially fatal disease causing swelling of the brain. She has also battled addiction to painkillers.