Standing tall, the BBC man shot by Al Qaeda

Three years ago doctors said Frank Gardner would probably never walk again.

But this week the BBC's security correspondent, who was left fighting for his life after being gunned down by Al Qaeda fanatics in 2004, presented a report standing up.

Viewers of the Ten O'Clock News were delighted to see the 45-year-old broadcaster out of his wheelchair and standing with the aid of callipers to present an exclusive report about the U.S. government's proposals on how it might attack Iran.

Just 24 hours after presenting the piece on Monday night, he was off skiing with his family, having attended a British Army training course for disabled skiers.

He uses a device called a 'sitski', which is essentially a chair on skis. In the 2004 attack, Gardner was shot six times at close range in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, and his cameraman Simon Cumbers was killed. Gardner needed emergency surgery to remove bullets from his abdomen, leg and hand, and was left partly paralysed.

His battle to recover from his injuries was charted in his autobiography, which revealed how after being airlifted back to Britain doctors in the UK were far from convinced that he would pull through.

One neurosurgeon told him: 'If I were a betting man, I'd say you probably won't walk again. But with nerve damage you can never be sure.'

Gardner recalled: 'The idea that I could be paralysed for life had simply not registered until then.'

He was also told that he was likely

to be a 'long- term wheelchair user' and admitted the prospect 'terrified' him.

Gardner returned to work just ten months after he was shot, giving regular reports since then from his wheelchair. He has also presented and taken part in a show about scuba-diving.

He walked in public for a special occasion in October 2005 when he received an OBE from the Queen for services to journalism.