A FOREST holidaymaker has exclusively told the Review the manager at a Tunisian hotel she was staying at was willing to sacrifice his own life to protect his guests during last Friday's attack.

Kate Hammond, of Cinderford, was holidaying with her boyfriend Rich in Skanes – just 15 miles away from where terrorists opened fired in Sousse. The couple flew home on Saturday night.

She said: "It was absolutely terrifying – I couldn't wait to get back on English soil. I was staying in a hotel in the next bay from Sousse.

"We had just returned from shopping in Monastir when we walked into the lobby and everyone was frantic, saying there had been a terrorist attack on the beach. We noticed that the hotel had increased their security as there were security guards with guns at the front of the hotel and police boats patrolling in the sea. We could not fault our hotel, they did all they could to make us feel safe.

"The manager did a speech saying that our safety was their main priority and that they would lay their bodies and hearts before us, which made everyone cry. It was such a sad atmosphere because most of the Tunisian people are lovely and can't do enough for you and said they 'love the English'.

"I kept getting texts from friends and family at home telling me to stay in the hotel as they heard it was more than one terrorist."

The couple jetted to the tourist hotspot for a last-minute getaway with holiday provider Thomas Cook on June 20.

She said: "We went with Thomas Cook, but to be honest we haven't heard anything from them. We kept our original flight as we were only there a week so we would have been coming home then anyway. I know Thomson customers had 'emergency' coaches pick them up. I'm put off going abroad at the moment."