Share
18th May 2023
11:53am BST
Lee Rigby's son has revealed he once lost the ability to talk after his dad was killed.
Jack Rigby was just two-years-old when his Fusilier father was murdered on May 22, 2013, by two Islamist extremists outside his barracks in Woolwich, south east London.
Jack has now opened up about how he coped with the grief of losing his dad at such as young age.
The 12-year-old was just a toddler when he attended his father's funeral which took place in Greater Manchester's Bury Parish Church on 12 July, 2013.
Thousands attended the service, including then-Prime Minister David Cameron and the Mayor of London at the time, Boris Johnson.
But the horror of his father's death and the trauma of having to come to terms with growing up without him had a deep impact on Jack.
He went on to suffer later-in-life trauma responses to the life-changing event and even lost the power of speech for a few months, regressing back to babyhood.
Ahead of the 10th anniversary of his dad's death, Jack has spoken to the Mirror about his childhood, and his charity efforts to raise money for bereaved military children and young people.
He is running and walking a marathon over the course of a month to raise money for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports children and young people who have lost a family member in the military.
He said: "I want to raise £1,000 for every year my dad has been gone and would absolutely love to raise £10,000 for the 10-year anniversary.
"I feel proud doing the May Marathon in honour of my dad. It also helps distract me from everything. Going on a long walk is a nice break and reminds me it’s not all bad."
Jack's mum, Rebecca, added: "People think because Jack was only two when his dad was killed, that it doesn’t affect him very much, but that’s not how it works.
"Just because Jack was young, it doesn’t mean he’s forgotten Lee. Lee has always been such an important part of our lives and always will be. I’m so proud of Jack in everything that he does, and I think that Lee would be as well."
She added: "Jack wanted to do something positive in memory of his dad. He wants to show how even though he’s grown up without Lee, he’s not forgotten his dad."
Lee's killers were 25-years-old Islamist extremists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.
They were both subsequently given life sentences, with Adebolajo being handed a whole life sentence.
Speaking about Lee's killers, Rebecca said: "These people have taken away my baby’s dad, but Lee’s memory lives on through our son and we will never forget him.
"I now want to build a future for Jack and make him proud of his dad like we all are."
Related links:
