A besotted newlywed has been left unable to wear his wedding ring after it got caught on a fence and tore his finger off - just three months after tying the knot.
Paul Biggs, 33, jumped down from a 6ft 6in fence - retrieving a package from a pal - when the horrific accident happened.
The dad-of-four says it was the first time he had taken his ring off since getting married on December 24, but found himself the butt of jokes from pals who teased it gave him an excuse not to wear it.
After ripping away the skin, nail and top of his finger - leaving just the bone - on March 31, Paul put the finger in an empty Mr Kipling angel slice plastic cake box and drove himself to hospital.
Doctors were unable to reattach the tip and instead cut off the protruding bone, leaving him with just a 1cm stump on his left hand - and some explaining to do to wife Leonie, 32.
The former infantryman, who is now jokingly dubbed 'Homer Simpson' by pals, faces getting a tattoo or wearing his badly bent wedding ring on his right hand after the accident.
Read more of today's top stories
Paul, from Runcorn, said: "I was in the army so I've been to Iraq, I've been to Afghanistan and come back without being shot or injured.
"Now I've come back to work in the UK and I've lost my finger in a stupid accident. The irony of it is hilarious.
This is why armed police are in Spinningfields today
"My wife wasn't happy when she saw it. It was mixed emotions for her - she was upset that I had done it and sorry that it was that finger as well.
"My wife is probably worse about it than me. It's hard for her because we are newly married.
"I've only got a little bit of my finger left. I can't wear my wedding ring now. That's the only thing that has upset me because I never took it off - not even for doing the dishes.
"My friends have all been making the same joke about me not wanting to wear the ring, to which I say that I'd never taken it off.
Spinningfields bar Neighbourhood has its licence revoked after alleged gang stabbing
Family of Piccadilly Rats frontman told he 'probably won't survive' after being hit by tram
"I've been called Homer Simpson a lot, and also been given some discount on some purchases due to a 'four finger discount'.
"I found the wedding ring, but it's all bent. I won't be climbing over any more fences.
"I might get a tattoo instead. If I can get a tattoo around the base of my finger that would be great.
"I don't want to wear the ring on my opposite finger but if I need to then I will."
Paul claims he had been forced to climb the tall fence to pick up a parcel from a friend who hadn't been around to let him in through the gate.
Now waiting for his former finger to heal, Paul still gets sensations as if his fingertip is still there.
Speaking about the accident, he said: "I didn't even realise I had done it at first.
"[The doctors] called it degloving. it's like when you take off a glove; that's what happened with my skin.
"It was really painful, and it still is now to be honest. I took one picture when I was in the car too, which I sent to boss.
"I needed to get my finger in something sterile or clean and all I had in the car was a Mr Kipling angel slice container.
"I took the cake out, wiped inside the plastic bit just to get it all nice and sterile and then put my finger inside.
"I didn't have anything to cover my finger on my hand when I was driving to hospital.
"They couldn't do anything with it anyway so they told me that I was going to lose my finger.
"They trimmed it all down. It's a bit weird to be honest because I keep getting a feeling in my finger that isn't there. It's like a phantom feeling.
"I get pins and needles, and a weird vibration thing in the top of my finger. I can feel that in my finger still, and it's not there. It is strange."
