Pride of Britain: Lee Rigby’s son emotional after meeting by Ant and Dec
Jack Rigby, the son of Fusilier Lee Rigby, met Ant and Dec ahead of collecting his Pride of Britain Award last weekend.
On 22 May 2013, Lee, 25, was crossing a road near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, south-east London, when he was hit by a car driven by Islamist extremists.
He was then attacked and killed in broad daylight by the pair, leaving behind his wife, Rebecca Rigby, and son, Jack Rigby, who was just two at the time of his father’s death.
10 years later, Jack, 13, has been busy raising money in his father’s name for charity and was recently surprised by Ant McPartlin, 47, and Declan Donnelly, 48, to celebrate his efforts.
After arriving at a branch of the bowling bar, All-Star Lanes, the comedy duo met up with Jack and his family to deliver a round of milkshakes.
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The pair then placed an envelope in the 13-year-old’s hands, the contents of which he read aloud: “Jack, you have won a Pride of Britain award.”
After speaking with the family, the presenters proceeded to play a game of bowling with Jack.
Speaking to the camera after meeting the I’m A Celeb hosts, Lee’s son said: “They’re my favourite TV presenters out there. It was such a good surprise to see them walk in.”
In another piece-to-camera, Dec gushed: “He is the embodiment of Pride of Britain. I’m sure his father would be proud of the young man that Jack has become.”
After attending the event on Sunday (8 October), Jack told The Mirror: “It feels unbelievable. It does feel like I’m dreaming. I thought my dad joining the military was an act of courage and he was very strong to do it.
“We walked miles and talked about my dad. It was a way for me to remember him in a positive way at a difficult time.”
He continued to say that the 10 years since his death had “not been easy” however he vowed that Lee would always be part of his life.
In an interview with Good Morning Britain, Jack’s mother, Rebecca, said: “I have always said I didn’t want what happened to define Jack’s life and I wanted him to live the childhood he deserved to live. I wanted him to go on and do something good.
“I never dreamed that he would raise this amount of money for charity.”
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Rebecca also admitted that she was “absolutely astonished” that she and Jack managed to raise £55,000 by the Pride of Britain Awards, given that their original goal was £250.
The money which Jack and his mother raised was for Scotty’s Little Soldiers – a charity for bereaved children of British Armed Forces veterans.
Writing about his late father on the fundraising page, Jack said: “My dad Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered on May 22nd 2013 when I was only two and a half years old. This year marked the 10 year anniversary, it’s never easy but this year felt even harder for some reason.
“To help me through this year I have been concentrating on raising funds and awareness for Scotty’s Little Soldiers. In May I took part in the May marathon, taking on 26.2 miles during the month of May. This really helped me to concentrate on something positive at a very difficult time while helping this amazing charity.”
He pressed on to say that he and his mum walked 10K to raise funds for Scotty’s, and that he has been a proud member of the charity since 2013.
“I have met other children that understand what it’s like to be in this position. I’ve had fun at the Scotty’s Christmas parties over the years and marched with Scottys through London on Remembrance Day which filled me with pride. I even named my dog Scotty after the charity,” the 13-year-old continued.
“I now want to be able to give something back to Scottys and with your help donating we can help Scottys to continue supporting hundreds of bereaved military children just like me.”
At the time of writing, the fundraiser has a target of £100,000 and has raised £55,100 from a combination of 2552 donations.
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