THIS is the dramatic moment a heroic music star rescued a man hanging from a 30ft B-road bridge.
Matt Johnson, 39, who is best known for appearing in the hit ITV series Pop Stars: The Rivals, bravely saved the day in incredible footage caught on camera.
Matt made his name in 2002 after he won a place in the boy band, One True Voice, via a public vote.
But the star became an unlikely hero after his selfless act saved a man’s life last week in Flintshire, North Wales.
Footage showed Matt driving his VW Transporter on the B5129 Chester Road West, in Queensferry, when he spotted a distressed man desperately hanging by his fingertips from a footbridge over the busy road.
With just seconds to make a life-saving decision, quick-thinking Matt swiftly parked his van underneath the bridge.
And just 20 seconds later the struggling man dropped onto the roof in the dramatic video.
Just a few minutes later emergency services arrived on the scene and climbed onto Matt’s van to help the man to safety.
The star posted the footage of the incident captured on his dashcam on social media to raise awareness for Men’s Mental Health Month.
Matt’s van was left damaged after saving the man’s life but his insurance company say he is liable to pay for the damage to his van unless North Wales Fire and Rescue agree to claim on their insurers on his behalf.
Despite potentially being out of pocket following the incident, Matt said: “I would do it again. I do not regret it.”
Writing online, the married father-of-three said: “Something crazy happened last week. I was sat at the traffic lights and looked left to see a man hanging from a bridge by his hands.
“There were no emergency services around and I could only presume he was sadly looking to take his life.
“The drop was high enough to shatter your legs, leave you paralysed or worse. I thought he maybe had a minute left to hold on.”
He added: “My VW Transporter is just over 2 metres high, so I decided to park under him to give him a chance if he fell.
“Within twenty seconds he dropped onto my van. He was clearly in a very vulnerable state.
“The emergency services arrived about three minutes later, climbed onto my van and helped him.”
The incident temporarily closed the B5129 Chester Road West, in Queensferry, last week.
Matt still writes his own music and has more than 250million streams on Spotify after starting his music career over two decades ago.
Hundreds of people have since commented on Matt’s post, praising his actions.
Several urged him to set up a fundraising page online to help pay for the repairs.
Cheryl Winmill said: “What an absolutely incredible act of selflessness, with moments to spare.
“I hope that man gets all the help he needs and that you also have the recognition of your actions by the relevant authorities. You are a hero.”
While David Parkinson, who claimed he witnessed the incident, told him: “It all happened so quick.
“If it wasn’t for your quick thinking it could have ended very different.”
Matt, from Ewloe, North Wales, performed in Les Miserables, in the West End as a child and auditioned for the ITV1 programme aged 16 in 2002.
He won a place in the boy band, One True Voice, via a public vote.
Their “rival” girl band in the show were Girls Aloud, who beat One True Voice to the coveted Christmas Number 1 spot with their debut hit Sound of the Underground.
But while Girls Aloud went on to become one of the biggest selling girl bands in UK history, selling over four million records, One True Voice disbanded the following year.
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
