JORDAN North was rescued from the River Thames last night after he tried to save a drowning dog.
The radio star, 34, was on a run when he saw a Labrador struggling in the water and decided to step in to help him – but started to panic himself.
A member of the public raised the alarm when they spotted him struggling in the water.
Fortunately, the lifeboat crew were out on exercise and reached the location, near Hammersmith Bridge, just three minutes later.
They found former I’m A Celebrity contestant Jordan sat on a nearby float lift with the dog, as members of the public held up phone torches to help the RNLI locate him.
Speaking about the scary incident, Jordan said on Capital Breakfast: “A big thank you and a massive shout out to RNLI Chiswick who came and rescued me because I was getting a bit panicky.
“I was getting a bit nervy as well because I thought my legs are going to go, I can’t hold on much longer so they got there just in time.
“The real heroes here are the RNLI who came out and got me, put a blanket round me. They’re the heroes.”
Thames Commander Gavin Simmons, alongside crew Sid Blake, Tom Coe and Cameron Crawley were the ones who got Jordan and the dog, who belonged to a member of the public, to safety.
Gavin said: “We are on call to help all those who find themselves in difficulty on the water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even our beloved pets!
“While we’d always encourage people to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard instead of entering the water themselves, we’re happy that in this instance we were able to help Jordan and the dog safely back to dry land.”
Jordan’s rescue comes just two weeks after a fire service spokesman warned members of the public against rescuing animals from water.
It followed the rescue of a woman in Norwich who needed to be pulled from a river after she went in after her dog, which died at the scene.
The spokesman told the BBC: “We always ask people to call for help if life is at risk, and not to enter the water after other people or animals.
“We appreciate how much people love their animals as part of the family, but going in after them puts their own life in danger.
“In this instance, we were able to rescue the dog owner and we wish her a speedy recovery.
“Our thoughts are with her on the loss of her dog.”
It’s guidance echoed by the RNLI, which states on its website that dogs should be kept on leads near rivers and the emergency services should be alerted if they get into trouble.
There are many ways to support the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews this Christmas. To find out more, please visit RNLI.org/WinterAppeal
