A HAMPSHIRE oil worker who was kidnapped by al-Qaeda has spoken about his ordeal for the first time.

Sixty-four year-old Bob Semple from Southampton was released from captivity in August 2015 after a gruelling 19 months.

The petroleum engineer, who was captured by militants on his way to work for Intracs Middle East, said that he feared decapitation.

He was shackled to the floor in a cell one and a half by three metres wide and periodically put in front of a camera to record video messages to his wife Sallie - although she never received them.

He said: "My real worry about the videos was that they would actually video me getting my head chopped off and I would break down at that point. And I thought I'm not going to give you the satisfaction."

He kept sane by blocking off thoughts of his wife and family and focusing his mind on geometry.

After six months his captors gave him a script to read out which made demands of a $10 million ransom.

He thought: "Who's going to pay $10m for me? Nobody. So, I just wrote myself off then. It was either escape, or wait for them to cut your head off."

He made a futile attempt to escape by wearing down a link in the chains to his feet, but was moved to a more secure room.

Later a glimpse of British hostage Terry Waite gave him strength, and in August the husband of 25 years and father of three was freed by special forces soldiers from the United Arab Emirates.

The Yemeni company he worked for had stopped his pay whilst he was imprisoned, forcing his wife to sell their family home.