The last woman to be pulled alive from the 7/7 bombing on the Picadilly Line has been given an honorary degree from Kingston University.

Gill Hicks, who lost both legs in the bombings, was made an honorary doctor of science this week.

Kingston and St George’s joint faculty of health, social care and education recognised her courage in raising awareness of disability and her determination to overcome her injuries.

On July 7, 2005, she took the Piccadilly Line to work.

An hour after Jermaine Lindsey’s bomb detonated, Miss Hicks was pulled from the tunnel. She was the last person to be found alive on the train.

On her hospital wristband it said “One unknown – estimated female”, indicating the severity of her injuries. Only a month later, she was fitted with prosthetic legs.

Miss Hicks said: “This was the greatest challenge I had ever faced – both a physical and mental mountain, and I wanted to see what I was made of, if I had the courage to trust and believe in myself enough to stand, balance and to walk again.”

Dr Iain Beith, head of rehabilitation sciences at Kingston and St George’s, said: “The courage and perseverance Gill has shown throughout her rehabilitation are inspiring.”

In 2012, she moved back to her native Australia after two decades in London. A daughter, Amelie, was born this January.

The honorary degree was awarded in absentia at a joint Kingston University and St George’s ceremony at Royal Festival Hall in London on May 13.