VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: DAREDEVIL BASE JUMP FROM LONDON EYE

EYE JUMP

DAREDEVIL Gary Connery amazed onlookers when he leapt 440ft from the London Eye after swimming the Thames, crawling onto the structure and hurling himself off the top.

The breathtaking footage shows movie-stunt ace Gary, 37, entering the Thames in a dry suit and sneaking up onto the wheel under the noses of security guards at 4.30am on Thursday.

After stripping off to a James Bond-style dinner-jacket and bow-tie, he waits for first light before attaching himself to the rim and edging himself towards the top.

Inadvertently, he was helped by staff turning the wheel to clean the pods. At 7.45am, with a final wave and call to his supporters far below, Gary balances himself precariously on the edge, gripping his parachute in his hand, and then hurling himself into the air.

Moments later he throws open his parachute into the air and 15 seconds later he safely lands 100m from the wheel in the Jubilee Gardens, where he is met by his relieved wife, Vivienne.

The dad-of-two, from Maidenhead, Berks, who has been base-jumping since 1993, told the News of the World: “It was an amazing experience.

“Ever since they built the Eye I’ve wanted to jump off it.

“I spent two weeks planning the jump, working out where I could land and how I would go about it.

“When I got to the top I was petrified but the thrill on the way down made it worth it.”

Eccentric Gary, who is currently working as a stuntman on new Simon Pegg film ‘Run, Fat Boy, Run’, has previously jumped off the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Gary now plans to jump from a plane one mile up with no parachute. He hopes to land safely using only a wingsuit - a specially made jumpsuit which contains wings - a feat that has never been attempted before.

He is now looking for sponsorship to make the attempt possible, and hopes an aviation company will back him.