A SOLDIER whose foot was blown off by a buried bomb in Afghanistan said he was “honoured” to carry the torch.

Private Patrick Burns from the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, lost his right leg below the knee after the explosion in January last year.

The 25-year-old, from Bicester, thought he would never walk again, but is now in training to run his entire section of the relay, in Wallingford, with a special blade fitted to his leg.

Last night he said: “I’m a bit nervous but I’m really honoured to be picked. At the moment I’m concentrating on training because I want to run it all.”