An amazing woman

I found myself in Edgware this afternoon where I got the rare opportunity to have a brief one-on-one interview with Met Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair.

He was there to support one of the survivors of the July 7th London bombings, Gill Hicks, who sadly lost both of her legs in the attacks.

But despite that, Gill and her husband have spent the past month or so walking 200 miles between Leeds and London to try and promote a tolerant and peaceful society.

Sir Ian was running very very late for another engagement. He'd been with Gill for this section of her walk and his press officer told me that I could only have a few moments with him.  Which is fair enough I suppose as he is London's top police officer.

But when I met up with him he was absolutely beaming with pride and praise for Gill and the journey that she'd been on.

He described her to me as "one of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever met"

"To survive what she's survived, to emerge from it without bitterness and now to dedicate her life to reaching out across communities.. that is SOME woman".

That's very high praise if you ask me. 

As Sir Ian departed, Gill and her convoy arrived at their destination.  She had a very determined look on her face, but, as you'd expect also looked exhausted.

I wasn't expecting to be able to interview her but after Sir Ian's comments I felt that I just had to meet this woman and hear what she had to say.

And after she'd had a minute to sit down and grab a glass of water I did just that.  And I have to say, I was totally in awe of her.

Despite what she's been through and being in pain she was just an inspiration.  I found myself totally engaged in what she had to say.  Now I know that's my job, but I was chatting away to her for a good 10 minutes or so and enjoyed every minute of it.

Anyway - you'll hear some of the stuff that she told me on Capital News on Sunday, when her walk comes to an end.

Gill says that she'll spend a few months relaxing with a few G&T's and recovering before deciding what to do with her life next.

If I see her in the pub, I’ll certainly buy her a double.

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