The widow of the soldier murdered in south-east London on Wednesday has described him as a devoted father who will be terribly missed.

Drummer Lee Rigby from Middleton in Greater Manchester was attacked by suspected terrorists in Woolwich.

His stepfather Ian told how they frantically tried to contact him after watching his brutal murder unfold on television saying his "heart skipped a beat".

Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Rigby said they tried to get hold of him but could not reach him.

"Really as soon as it came on the news on television, obviously we didn't know it was Lee but your heart skips a beat when you see something like that on TV, you know your son is in that area. As soon as it was on the telly we were attempting to get hold of Lee, obviously we couldn't and it was the middle of the night probably when we got confirmed to us it was Lee" he said.

His wife, Rebecca, spoke of the shock of losing her husband, who served with distinction in Afghanistan, on British soil saying "You don’t expect it to happen when he's in the UK. You think they're safe. His proudest moments were serving in London on the ceremonials with the drum corps" she said.

Mrs. Rigby, 30, said her husband had been due home to Langley in Greater Manchester at the weekend so they could "continue our future together as a family" with their two-year-old son Jack.

She said that she was proud to be his wife and added "He was a devoted father to our son Jack and we will both miss him terribly."

The pair were speaking alongside hismother Lyn, his sister Sara McClure, 24, and aunt and uncle Elaine and Ray Dutton. His younger sisters were not there.

The results of a post-mortem examination failed to confirm the cause of death. He was hit with a car before being hacked to death on Wednesday afternoon in south-east London.

Two men Michael Adeboloja, 28, originally from Romford in Essex, and Michael Oluwatobi Adebowale, 22, of Greenwich in southeast London, were shot and arrested at the scene. In a video filmed at the scene, Adeboloja, who is holding a bloodied meat cleaver, can be heard saying "We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

The men are being treated for non life-threatening injuries in hospital under police guard. The Muslim Council of Britain has reiterated its condemnation of the "barbaric attack".