Rushing out of bed, Karl Williams was late to his dance class in Central London.
It was July 7, 2005 and he’d been out partying the night before to celebrate London being awarded the 2012 Olympic games. He felt like the city was an exciting place to be.
However, later that morning his world changed forever, when he was caught up in the 7/7 terror attacks and was just metres away from where a bomb was detonated on his underground carriage.
Terrified, Karl believed he was going to die. Until a voice came from the rubble and a woman asked if she could hold his hand and told him that everything was going to be okay.
Karl, 39, credits her with saving his life – so he enlisted the help of Anita Rani and her new show Saved by a Stranger, to find her.
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He says: “I normally got the tube straight to Covent Garden where I was training to become a dancer, but on 7th July I got up late so needed to change at Kings Cross.
“It was hot and the platform was really busy. I remember thinking something doesn’t feel right but I was pushed on the tube from behind. A few seconds later there was a massive bang.
“The clearest image I have of that moment is silver rain everywhere, from the glass shattering in the windows and doors.
“It felt like we were coasting forever before the train stopped. Then there was silence everywhere.”
He adds: “It was pitch black, and you could taste the smoke. It was very acidic.
“I initially thought that some part of the tube had collapsed and I remember thinking we were going to get buried alive.
“I’m not religious but I was desperate to get out - so I prayed and said that I wouldn’t be gay anymore. I just wanted to be with my mum.
“The rubble was up to my knees and I started blubbering like a child.”
But then something amazing happened.
Karl explains: “This woman reached across and said can you hold my hand? It felt strange at first but then I surrendered to it. And I said, ‘we’re going to die here, aren’t we?’ And she was so calm and collected and she said ‘no, we’re going to get out’.
“I really think in some way, she saved me. I’m not sure I’d be the person I am now without having her to hold my hand in the worst of times. It showed me that strangers can be really supportive.”
After what felt like a lifetime, the driver opened his door and told people to carefully walk along the tracks to safety.
But in his desperation to escape the situation, Karl did something that haunts him to this day.
He explains: “The thing I carry with me the most is that I pushed in front of the woman to get out. I wanted to say sorry for that because I felt so terrible that I’d do that when someone was so helpful.”
Karl had previously tried to find the lady who helped him through the ordeal but he got nowhere.
However, after using documents from coroners, he and Anita were able to piece together who was near him on the tube and who might have been his saviour.
A lady, named Susan, had a remarkably similar story to Karl – so they agreed to meet up.
Karl says: “She didn’t look like what I had pictured in my head but our stories aligned in many ways.
“The difficult thing about this is that we will never know if it was Susan who held my hand or not - but it doesn’t really matter now.
“After speaking to Susan my survivor’s guilt lifted, because I knew that by holding someone’s hand I had helped them too.
“Me and Susan are still in touch. This has been the start of my survivor’s journey.
"Most people have been in touch with other survivors for 15 years and I missed out on that because I didn’t feel like I deserved to be part of it because I wasn’t injured and hadn’t lost a loved one.”
He adds: “What’s really come through is this message of small acts of kindness and how important they are.”
'Without her help life would have been very very different'
Emina Hadziosmanovic was just four when, on April 18, 1992, she and her family fled war-torn Bosnia for a new life in England.
They have since gone on to thrive in Birmingham.
However, this wouldn’t have been possible without Dr Natasha Savic, who placed them on a list for medical evacuees, when Emina’s little sister Edina – who has Down’s Syndrome - became poorly.
Emina, 33, says: “Without her help life would have been very very different for the whole family.”
Emina remembers the bus journey out of the country vividly.
She says: “The bus stopped and started because the Serbs would come on and check paperwork. They also took people’s jewellery and if you refused then your finger would be cut off with the ring attached.”
And Emina nearly died while crossing a bridge that was bombed – causing hundreds of people to fall into the water below.
She says: “My legs shake even thinking about it.”
Despite their best efforts, the family had struggled to get in contact with Dr Savic to thank her.
However, Anita and the team were able to track her down in Holland and in 2019 she visited Emina in the UK.
Emina says: “She was exactly how I remembered her and seeing her meant the absolute world to my family.
“We’ve stayed in touch and are hoping to visit her in the future.”
Saved by a Stranger starts tomorrow - Thursday - at 9pm on BBC Two.
