British CNN war correspondent who survived guns, bombs and grenades sues for £1.6m after breaking his ankle outside Borough Market restaurant

A British CNN war correspondent who survived bombs in Beirut, grenades in Ukraine and being held at gunpoint in Libya - only to be hospitalised after slipping on spilt food at London's trendy Borough Market - is suing for £1.6million compensation.Matthew Chance, 56, toyed with fate in his career in some of the world's most dangerous places.But when his guard was down in the seemingly safe market, he slipped on a patch of grease and broke his ankle, having to be rushed to hospital at Christmas in 2022.The £425,000-a-year journalist had been on his way to book a table at the market's 'Roast' restaurant when he slipped in 'greasy and oily' food waste on the floor beside one of the stalls.He crashed to the ground and suffered a 'Bosworth fracture' - where ligaments are torn from the bone.He said the nasty injury left him with ongoing pain and forced him to permanently move to the UK from his Moscow base.The move has affected his earning power because the taxes in the UK are higher than those in Russia, he said.His lawyers stated that had he stayed in Moscow, 'his net pay would have been considerably higher than it is now.' £425,000 a year CNN war reporter Matthew Chance has survived the deadliest war zones but was brought down after slipping in London's Borough Market and snapping his ankle Mr Chance is suing the Borough Market Trustees for £1.6million, saying he was forced to move to the UK after the accident, where the tax system is more punishing than Russia'sSubsequently, Mr Chance has gone to London's High Court to sue the Borough Market Trustees for £1.6million in compensation for his injuries and lost past and future income.The trustees have admitted liability for the accident, but are set to contest the amount of damages owed.Mr Chance has had many near-death experiences in his line of work. He fled Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and once realised he was crouched next to a live grenade while broadcasting from war-torn Ukraine.The Brit interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his Kyiv bunker while Russian bombs landed and in 2011 was held at gunpoint in a Libyan hotel by Colonel Gaddafi's forces during the last days of his reign.But despite the daring nature of his work, court documents reveal how he was brought down in the popular tourist attraction right in central London. Mr Chance had gone to Borough Market on the afternoon of December 19, 2022, when he suffered his fall, the documents read.'At approximately 4pm, he was approaching the entrance to 'Roast' restaurant, as he intended to make a booking, and was walking in front of a food stand when he slipped up on an oily and greasy substance on the floor, lost his footing and fell,' his lawyers said.As he fell, he twisted his right leg and snapped his ankle.He was rushed to hospital, and the fibula bone was put back into position before further surgery took place to repair the ligament and reconstruct his joint. Mr Chance slipped outside the 'Roast' restaurant inside the market on December 19, 2022 He was left with a badly broken ankle, suffering a 'Bosworth fracture' - where ligaments are torn from the bone.Barrister James Byrne told the court this week that the fall had 'knocked him sideways' and seriously impacted his earning potential.He added: 'We say that the injury has caused a substantial loss to him.'Despite this claim, Mr Chance was actually promoted to CNN's chief global affairs correspondent after the accident.However, his lawyers argue he's still at a loss because he was forced to move back to the UK, where the tax system is more punishing than Russia's.'Had he not suffered the accident, he would not have relocated to the UK and would have received the increased salary following the promotion, subject only to the deduction of Russian income tax at the relevant rates,' his lawyers said.'To reiterate, the claim is that the injury necessitated a move to London that he would not have otherwise made and that in being forced to move to London he has been left without the actual remunerative benefit of his promotion.'Had he stayed in Moscow once promoted, his net pay would have been considerably higher than it is now.'But barrister James Hogg, defending the Market Trustees, said that while it accepts liability for the accident, it requires him to prove 'the incidence, causation, nature and extent of the pain, injury, loss and damage alleged.'Mr Chance's 'credibility is in issue', Mr Hogg continued, pointing out that the journalist had claimed in 2024 that he had returned to sedentary work and not been back to Ukraine since the accident, despite having actually reported from Gostomel and Kyiv in 2023.'Whereas the claimant informed Dr Stallard in November 2024 that he had not returned to reporting in the same combat or front-line situations that he had previously done, the defendant notes that prior to that date the claimant had reported from Goris, Armenia, in October 2023 and later the same month from Tel Aviv, Israel, when the broadcast was interrupted by explosions, and from the Gaza-Egyptian border in September 2024, when the claimant accompanied the Israel Defence Forces,' the barrister said.He also pointed to evidence which he said suggested that, by June 2024, Mr Chance was not taking pain medication and 'had been able to partially return to his pre-accident activities of road cycling and to run on a treadmill at 12km/h, noted to be his previous fast run pace.'The case reached court for a pre-trial case management hearing this week, with a five-day trial currently set to take place in early 2028.Mr Chance joined CNN in 2001 and has since reported from the Middle East, Afghanistan, Russia and Chechnya, Ukraine, Europe and the Far East.He has interviewed many world leaders, including Vladimir Putin, Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko and former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf.