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Former undercover reporter Donal MacIntyre and his wife were beaten up in a suburban winebar in a suspected revenge attack for exposing Chelsea football hooligans nine years ago.
MacIntyre, 43, was attacked by four smartly dressed white men in the Cloud 9 wine bar in Hampton Court.
He had just walked in with his wife Ameera De La Rose, 43, when one of the men shouted at him “You grass, you snitch.”
The father of two and runner up in this year's Dancing on Ice was knocked to the ground and his wife was also hurt when she tried to protect him.
Police are investigating the possibility that the incident was related to MacIntyre's expose of the Chelsea Headhunters hooligan gang in 2000.
The reporter posed as a drug-dealing Ulster loyalist to infiltrate the gang and his expose on the BBC's MacIntyre Undercover programme led to the convictions of five men.
Two of them Jason Marriner, 42, and Andy “Nightmare” Frain, 45, were jailed for six and seven years respectively.
Father of two MacIntyre collapsed with suspected concussion while he was talking to police after the attack.
He also suffered a black eye and a cut face in the attack. His wife suffered bruising to her face, arms and legs.
MacIntyre told the Sun today that the attack was “clearly related to my investigation from 2000.”
He said: “I've had kidnapping threats, been assaulted before, had my car trashed and I've had to move many times.
“I'll take those slings and arrows, but it crosses a line when my wife gets caught in the crossfire.”
He said his wife had tried to protect him when he was lying on the floor.
“They were trying to get me, missed me and then got her. She is extremely distressed.”
MacIntrye has told previously how constant threats had forced him to move home 40 times since he exposed the Headhunters gang.
He has said in the past that he believed the Nazi group Combat 18 was behind many of the threats against him.
In 2005 he was attacked by a man while out jogging in Hampton.
His attacker shouted : “You should not have done it!” before running off.
Police said a 48-year-old man from Addlestone, Surrey was arrested on suspicion of assault.
He has been bailed pending further inquiries.
