17 PHOEBE JONES

Ship’s dancer On stage in the ship’s theatre when disaster struck were the Italian magician and illusionist Maurizio di Martino - known as Mago Martin - and his assistants Phoebe Jones, from Surrey, and Rosalyn Rincon, from Blackpool.

Miss Jones was about to climb inside a box as part of a magic trick when the ship lurched, sending scenery crashing off the stage.

“Suddenly, there was a blackout and everything from the stage crashed to one side,” said the 20-yearold from Shepperton. “The ship went on a huge, huge lean. Some people started to panic, but I was fine. Even though I was so scared, I still didn’t really get what was going on.”

It was only when she reached Giglio in a lifeboat and was transferred to a ferry that the enormity of what she had experienced began to sink in.

“When I got on to the ferry and realised I was actually on a hard surface and safe, that’s when I realised,” she said. “We watched everything from that ferry and that night we just watched the Concordia sink.”

She was met by her parents, Howard and Loraine, at Heathrow Airport last Saturday and posted a message on Facebook to let friends know she was safe.

“So glad to be home,” she wrote. “Thank you all so much for everyone’s love and messages. I will be in touch as soon as I can. My heart goes out to all of Costa Concordia and to those still suffering. And to all the heroes, whose actions made such a difference to the disaster. The wonderful Costa Concordia. An incredible ship, once full of incredible people. My heart goes out to everyone.”

Miss Rincon, 30, who is half Venezuelan, was inside a long box, shaped like a coffin, when the ship lurched. “I shouted to the magician: ‘Get me out, get me out’ and he flipped a catch to release me. We ran to our cabins for our life vests.”