Wayne Rooney escort Helen Wood survives lightning strike

Former Big Brother winner Helen Wood has told of the terrifying moment she was struck by lightning and was saved by her wellington boots.

The 28-year-old, who became famous for having a threesome with footballer Wayne Rooney, told The Sun on Sunday (£) that she was out walking her dog when she was struck on the head.

She said: "I just completely froze when the lightning hit me. I was on the phone to a friend at the time.

"I felt the electricity shock go through my skull down past my right eye then out my jaw. It was so powerful. I screamed then ran to the car and was so upset.

Wood said she was rushed to hospital and later took to Twitter to thank her Hunter wellies after the doctor said, "you would never have survived without them".

In 2013, a woman who was struck by lightning escaped with just pins and needles thanks to her husband's wellington boots.

Deborah Kendall was putting her two-year-old daughter in her car during the thunderstorm when she was hit by a bolt near her home in Smalley, Derbyshire.

The 33-year-old, who was struck by several million volts, had put her husband's wellies on and opened an umbrella before stepping outside into the storm.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, she said: "We put my daughter in the car and I was still holding the umbrella in the air when there was suddenly this white sheet of light.

"I heard a bang and felt it in my hand, then almost instantaneously a bang in my feet. There was a noise like when you stand next to a pylon. The electricity came down the umbrella, through me and out again."

Mrs Kendall went to the hospital and was told by doctors that "the fact I was wearing David's wellies may have insulated me and stopped the lightning from earthing."