Tunisia Couple 'Still Hear Shots And Screams'

A young couple have told Sky News how they ran for their lives from the Tunisian gunman as they holidayed abroad together for the first time without their parents.

Oliver Hardy and Paige Finn have described the guilt they feel at being unable to do more to help fellow holidaymakers who were injured.

The pair, from North London, were in the sea enjoying their romantic break moments before the gunman started firing.

Mr Hardy, who works as an estate agent, said: "The explosions, the shots, the people screaming I still hear it every night when I try to sleep.

"It's the worst thing I've ever had in my life."

Instead of returning with happy memories, the recently engaged couple, who are both in their early twenties, have come home suffering flashbacks of the beach massacre they had to witness.

Miss Paige described seeing terrorist Seifeddine Rezgui as she sat looking out to sea.

"I could see him three chairs in front of me shooting everyone and I froze and then one of the waiters said run, so I ran."

Mr Hardy had left his partner on the beach as he returned to the hotel to pick up his vest.

When the firing started he had no idea what had happened to her, and feared the worst.

"You were waiting to be picked off that’s how it felt," he said.

"I just froze, seeing people fall over from being shot was just horrific.

"I saw old people screaming and crying. I was so scared myself I couldn't do anything to help them.

"I could hear bullets flying past my head, you could hear them hitting the wall behind.

"We just stopped for a second then ran up the stairs to our room.

"You could hear explosions.

"It sounded like he had chucked a bomb in the stairwell.

"There was a massive bang and we just heard people screaming and you could see people running on the roof of the other hotel."

The couple from Enfield were staying in the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel.

Once they were reunited they hid as the gunman continued firing just metres away.

Holding back tears, Mr Hardy said: "I got off the phone to my mum and that's when my dad called me and that's when I got a bit more teary just hearing his voice - he was just saying be strong, don't let it get to you.

"So I tried to be the strong one and just hold out."

He spoke about the guilt he feels at not being able to do more as people around him ran in terror into the hotel.

"The guilt of not doing more is one of the hardest things for me.

"I can still picture the old peoples' faces I wanted to help get up the stairs but I didn't actually help - the guilt is difficult."

The pair came home on an emergency flight to Gatwick at the weekend.

They feel more could have been done to help them cope with the trauma now they are home, but appreciate they are not the priority.

Mr Hardy said: "First thing you think is just surviving, that's what we did, we just survived.

"There are families who lost their whole families, there are kids who lost their girlfriends.

"We were lucky enough to make it home."