'He's got a gun': Australian reporter mugged after live cross

Channel 7 Europe correspondent Laurel Irving, right, had just wrapped up a report from London. Photo / Twitter, Channel 7

A Channel 7 reporter has been mugged by a man carrying a gun after a live cross to Sunrise in Australia.

Europe correspondent Laurel Irving had just wrapped up a report from London and thrown back to the studio in Sydney when she and her cameraman Jimmy Cannon were approached by two men riding bikes.

"I was really busy [prerecording extra footage] and noted that they were wearing balaclavas, which you would think would be a dead giveaway as to their intentions," she told Melbourne radio station 3AW's breakfast show.

"I started talking into the camera and while that was happening one of them walked up to Jimmy, our cameraman, and started talking to him.

"All of a sudden Jimmy took the camera off the tripod and that's when I stepped in and said, 'Hey, what's going on here?'"

Irving added that she'd tried to "grab the camera" but her cameraman had intervened.

"Jimmy said, 'No, no, he's got a gun!' So I let it go and they took off on the bike," she said.

However, Irving did manage to take a photo of the thieves as they cycled away.

The camera is reportedly valued at about A$25,000.

In an interview with Daily Mail, Irving explained that grabbing the camera was a "gut reaction."

"We weren't scared, we were just annoyed. I just grabbed the camera and Jimmy said 'He's got a gun,' so I said 'Show me the gun,' and it was that at that point I realised I was being silly and it was dangerous so I let go," she said.

EXCLUSIVE: The moment @Sunriseon7 reporter @laurelirving7 and her crew were mugged and attacked in London. Laurel and the camera operator Jimmy join us to talk about the incident. #sun7 pic.twitter.com/typwaFkOBT

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) June 6, 2018

Thanks everyone for the love. We’re all good. @7_Cannon was fantastic. The London crime rate though is crazy. https://t.co/K1SRDhndUu

— Laurel Irving (@laurelirving7) June 6, 2018

Following the incident, Irving thanked fans on Twitter and praised her colleague for the way he handled it.

A spokeswoman for Channel 7 told news.com.au: "Seven News Europe correspondent Laurel Irving and cameraman Jimmy Cannon were the victims of an armed mugging in London.

"They had just finished a live cross for Sunrise ... when two balaclava-clad men on bikes approached and demanded they hand over the camera. The entire incident was recorded as pictures were still being fed back live to the Sunrise control room, and that vision has been handed over to local police. Both Laurel and Jimmy are safe and well."