A FATHER who suffered life-changing injuries in the Manchester terror attack has spoken of how he shielded his daughter as the bomb went off.
Martin Hibbert was just 10 metres away from the suicide bomber, whose eyes he had looked into, when the device detonated as he was leaving Manchester Arena with his daughter.
Mr Hibbert sustained 22 shrapnel wounds leaving him paralysed.
He is featured in a new documentary to be aired tonight, Manchester: 100 Days After the Attack, telling the powerful and emotional story of some of the people at the heart of the events of that night and how they’ve coped in the following 100 days. It features everyone from the police, paramedics and medical teams to those remembering loved ones and rebuilding lives.
Mr Hibbert, who is due to move back to Bolton in the coming days, says: “As the blast went off I pretty much shielded my daughter from the explosion.
“I sustained 22 separate wounds or injuries which were all either shrapnel or nuts and bolts that were in the bomb he made.
“It was just that one bolt that has kind’ve gone through her head which probably would be my shoulder.
“Why I could not have made it 23 really cause other than the one that hit her there she’s not got anything.”
Manchester-100 Days After The Attack. So proud to have made this film with @GranadaReports Tues 29th Aug on @itv 9pm#MCR100DAYS #MANCHESTER pic.twitter.com/p5UXr7JyDj
— ITV Shiver (@ITVShiver) August 25, 2017
In it, Mr Hibbert talks about his determination not to live life as a victim.
The documentary, narrated by Christopher Eccleston, also follows a police officer reunited for the first time with the little girl whose life she saved.
Elaine Willcox, who worked on the documentary, said: “The film is incredibly powerful. We really wanted to tell the stories, 100 days on, of the people of Greater Manchester and the message of hope not hate. There are some incredible stories — Martin not wanting to be a victim, Adam who lost his best friend. People have let us in to some of their darkest moments.
“It tells how Manchester became stronger and this is the story we wanted to tell. It is testament to the people of Manchester who came together, the support that was shown.
“It was a tough programme to make and we worked really hard on it to show the positive and real stories that have come out of this atrocity which happened in our city.”
The documentary will air at 9pm.
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