Earlier this month, an unemployed, homeless man named Roy Larner took on three terrorists on the London Bridge with his bare hands. Larner’s heroism earned him the nickname “The Lion of the London Bridge.”
On June 3, jihadists armed with 12-inch hunting knives wreaked havoc in London, striking pedestrians on the London Bridge with a van before moving on to several popular dining establishments.
Larner, 47, was enjoying a beer at the Black and Blue restaurant when the assailants burst in.
“I did not have time to run,” he told the hosts of Good Morning Britain Tuesday. “One in front of me pulled out a knife, or whatever it was, and started shouting about Allah, Islam. I just started trying to fight back.”
Larner quickly became a local celebrity after multiple news outlets covered his hilariously defiant response to the attackers.
“I didn’t think of my safety at the time,” he told The Sun newspaper. “I’d had four or five pints — nothing major.”
Larner was stabbed eights times by the terrorists, who were shot dead by police minutes later.
On Tuesday, he told Good Morning Britain hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that his confrontation with death has given him a fresh outlook on life.
“I’m lucky to be here,” he said.
At the time of the attack, Larner was unemployed and crashing on a friend’s sofa. He now wants to secure a home and a job for himself. And with a crowdfunding page that has already raised nearly $63,000, he’s well on his way.
“I would like a job,” Larner said. “I think I could handle myself now.”
“I would like to work in something like that, bodyguard,” he added.
Larner is still recovering from his injuries. Following his appearance on Good Morning Britain, he returned to the hospital for another operation.
But after the heroism displayed on June 3, he’s not likely to be out of work much longer.