Nineties pop star Sandra McKenzie who dated Prince and sang Bodyform ‘Whoa’ ad stabbed 49 times by raging neighbour
A FORMER 90’s pop star, who once dated Prince, was stabbed 49 times by her neighbour in a brutal attack last year.
Sandra McKenzie, 63, who was a member of Whole Lotta Love hitmakers Goldbug, was left with multiple wounds after she was assaulted by Stephen Alum at a flat in Littlemore, Oxford.
The pair initially became friendly after sharing cigarettes in an adjoining garden.
During their brief encounters while in lockdown, Stephen would regularly invite the former pop star for dinner.
And on January 24 last year, Sandra accepted his invitation – unbeknown at the horror that was to follow.
“The minute I went round he grabbed my throat and pulled me out to the back garden and took me out, got me on the ground,” she recalled.
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"He was strangling me, punching my face. He kept stabbing me in the chest."
As the incident unfolded Sandra was stabbed a total of 49 times across her body.
"It was absolutely terrifying. He was strangling me and I just felt all the life going out my body,” she said.
“I thought I was going to die."
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The star was subsequently bedridden for eight months as her attacker was for life after admitting to charges of attempted murder.
“The police described it as the most vicious attack they'd ever seen,” she said.
However, Sandra, who was once famed for her “whoa” roar on the 1990s Bodyform TV advert, now has a walking frame and still feels pain if she puts any weight on the leg.
The singer previously told the Sun how she had led the “high-life” from her royalties earned from her early fame and once even owned a yacht.
But it later transpired that over-generosity and a series of bad business decisions had left her penniless as she was discovered living in a homeless shelter in her hometown of Dundee, Scotland in 2018.
Two years later she wound up in the south of England facing more financial hardship, spending six months sleeping rough in Oxford after being evicted from her Scottish flat.
And following a chastening few years that “almost broke” her spirit, she now says she is desperate to be moved from her current flat in Morrell Crescent following the brutal assault.
"When I go out my front door I relive [the attack]. I see him standing at his door," said McKenzie.
“I'm still in the same house. I have flash backs.
"I want to be moved but they're doing nothing to find me a flat or house."
In a joint statement, housing provider Response and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, who own the apartment, said: "Following this attack, a serious incident review was carried out.
"The service user was involved in this and supported throughout all processes.
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"She remains engaged with services and has access to round the clock help.
"If the service user has any concerns about the care she has received or is receiving, we encourage her to talk with her care team to see if any additional measures can be offered as she continues with her recovery journey."
