Jodie Turner-Smith definitely turned heads when she walked the Cannes red carpet for the very first time, dressed head-to-toe in custom Gucci.

However, the actor’s experience of the film festival has been marred, as her publicist has since confirmed to Variety that Turner-Smith has been the victim of a jewellery theft.

Tweeting about the incident on her own social media page, Turner-Smith wrote: “Didn’t think I would be spending 2.5 hours in the police station on my final day in Cannes, but here we are…”

As per Variety’s report, Turner-Smith was at breakfast when burglars broke into her hotel room at the Marriott and stole jewels worth over £8,561 – including her mother’s wedding ring.

And, as such, the talented Queen & Slim star’s social media feed has been flooded with messages of support from fans around the world.

“So sorry, but glad you are safe,” reads one. “The loss of a family heirloom is devastating. My parent’s house was broken into and my mum lost her mother’s necklace she wore everyday amongst other irreplaceable pieces. I hope there is a chance they can recover it.”

Another adds: “So sorry Jodie. I hope they recover your jewellery. Especially your mum’s ring.”

And still one more reads: “So sorry this happened. Very scary, hope you’re OK!”

Turner-Smith – who was at Cannes promoting her new film, After Yang – made sure to carry on with her appearances and work at the festival, despite the upsetting incident. And, in the process, she took the opportunity to speak out about the lack of representation when it comes to women in films.

“I want to make my life about not only working with incredible directors, but working with women, working with women of colour, using the opportunities that I have to give opportunities to people where the industry is being gate-kept to them or [who] are not being given the level of respect they deserve when they are extremely talented,” she shared during a Women In Motion talk over the weekend.

Noting that many will employ excuses, such as “‘there aren’t that many female directors’”, Turner-Smith continued: “The reality is there are very many talented female directors but, again, when you don’t have the opportunity and you’re not given the opportunity, then that door isn’t opened for you and so then it’s like, suddenly, ‘Oh where are they?’ But they haven’t been allowed in.

“When you make casting choices and you hire actors of colour in something, you have to hire people who know how to do their make-up, who know how to do their hair, who know how to light them properly.”

The actor finished powerfully: “All of these things also have to feed it. You have to hire producers who understand their needs and who understand what kinds of stories we’re trying to tell and how to honor those stories so that you don’t end up with things that feel like tokenism or strange stereotyping or just leaving out people and excluding them.

“So many times, it’s like, we are going to tell a story that involves Black people, but there are no Black people in the writers’ room, there are no women in the writers’ room. There’s so many different elements of it. And all of those things mean money [to hire] the people that are necessary.”

Images: Getty