Mario Falcone's Brentwood home was raided, with a burglar ransacking £70,000 worth of jewellery, designer clothes and cash.

The former TOWIE star's Essex home was raided by Jordan McKenzie-Pryce, 38, while Mario and his family were on holiday last year.

McKenzie-Pryce, a father of three from Streatham, took items including a gold Rolex watch, Mario's wedding ring, high-end fashion items like handbags, a MacBook, and around £5,000 in cash. In total, goods worth £69,000 were taken.

Mario shared his distress at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday (December 18), revealing the stolen items have never been returned and he now fears leaving his home empty.

The court heard that Mario, who is now a dad of two, was on holiday with his family in September 2022 when he received a call informing him of the burglary.

After McKenzie-Pryce's arrest, police found photos of the stolen items and a floor plan of Mario's home on his phone.

Judge Jamie Sawyer told the court that Mr Falcone had left his house fully locked up with "alarms fully engaged". The judge believed he was targeted because he's a reality TV star and shares his life on social media.

The home was searched thoroughly, with all drawers rummaged through and a shovel found in the bathroom. Prosecutor Keith Hadrill said: "He found that items had been taken out of the house, a number of expensive items.

"A gold Rolex, £5,000 in cash, a wedding ring worth £15,000, a total of £69,000. Many of the items had sentimental value and was never returned.

"He [Mr Falcone] said by reason of CCTV he can determine that the burglary occurred between 12am and 2.30am on September 5, 2022." Voices were heard on the CCTV footage, added Mr Hadrill.

Mario shared in a victim impact statement: "The thought of someone being in my house which should have been a safe place is terrifying.

"We have changed the way we live because my son doesn't have to have baby monitors anymore. We made the decision for safety to continue with the monitor.

"Those responsible were professional criminals that probably wouldn't care if we were in the house anyway. My wife and I don't really go out on dates now because we don't want to leave the children in the house with friends and family."

He continued: "Although I can afford to purchase the items again that's not the point. The watch and other items have huge sentimental value. That watch I wore on my wedding day and I would have worn that until the time to pass it onto my son on his wedding day.

"My entire life has been affected by this. I questioned at the time posting things on my social media and whether I would be a target. It shouldn't be like this."

Lawrence McNulty, speaking for McKenzie-Pryce, shared that he had been in and out of prison and was a dad to three kids.

He once had a job in the music industry but couldn't continue when the record company moved to the USA. His criminal record stopped him from following, pushing him back into crime.

The court also heard that McKenzie-Pryce burgled the Falcones' home just days after being involved in a shooting in Waltham Abbey where a man was shot in the arm.

Judge Sawyer said McKenzie-Pryce made Mr Falcone feel like his home had been "invaded" and sentenced him to 12 years in jail with an extra two on licence for the burglary and firearms offences. McKenzie-Pryce must also pay Mario Falcone £25,000 in compensation.

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