Rescuing woman from Thames has opened doors for me, says Adan the homeless hero

A homeless man who risked his life saving a drowning woman from the Thames told today how he was "overwhelmed" by the outpouring of support from Standard readers.

They were moved by Adan Abobaker's heroism and modesty after he heard a passer-by's cries for help and went to the young woman's rescue after she fell in the bitterly cold water close to Blackfriars bridge.

Mr Abobaker, 37, a strong swimmer, said at the time that he just "did what needed to be done" and that "life is worth living, it's not worth giving up".

After the rescue, the chef was left on the verge of hypothermia — then had his clothes and tea flask stolen from the river bank.

The Port of London Authority praised Mr Abobaker's "selfless courage" and its words were echoed in emails, letters and telephone calls in the days afterwards. He said the last time he saw the woman he saved was in the ambulance.

"A few days later I had a message from her father saying he wanted to meet up," he said. "I got a really nice letter from her and she's doing well. She has a really lovely family and is getting all the support she needs.

"I'm glad she's safe and hopefully when she is feeling better we are going to meet up."

The couple were plucked out of the night-time waters last month by the crew of the safety vessel Watchdog, operated by Capital Pleasure Boats, which was overseeing maintenance work on the bridge.

Boatmen Kevin Murphy and Lee Smith, both first-aiders, kept them warm with silver blankets before they were transferred by police boat to Waterloo Pier lifeboat station.

Among the good wishes were offers to replace his clothes, tea flask and his mobile phone, which became waterlogged in the rescue. He said: "I'm really grateful to all the people who helped me out, and especially the police and lifeboat crew. I had some lovely letters from people and some beautiful cards — the response was really overwhelming and threw me a little bit."

His story even prompted some offers for work as a chef. He said: "I've had a few offers of jobs, one for an agency and the other a catering company.

"There are no guarantees but I'm really hopeful about the new year. There's a few more doors open for me, I hope I can make them work for me."

Mr Abobaker, originally from Kingston-upon-Thames, has been living at St Mungo's hostel in Southwark after falling on hard times. He spent Christmas with friends and now hopes to move into his own home in time for his 38th birthday next month.

He occasionally passes the spot on the South Bank where he was walking when he heard the passer-by's screams and saw the young woman struggling in the water.

He said: "I don't take too many walks down there but when I have it's been surreal to look out across the Thames.

"I look at how far out she was and how cold the water is. I just hope I don't have to do it again."