A man who was stabbed in the leg while trying to stop the Southport attacker has said he is lucky the knife just missed an artery, as he praised the police and paramedics for being “the real heroes”.

John Hayes, 63, was speaking from his hospital bed after he was stabbed in the leg as he tried to stop the attacker, who entered a dance and yoga class on Monday and stabbed several children.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were killed, and nine children were injured, along with the class teacher, Leanne Lucas.

“I am perhaps lucky. While the knife only narrowly missed my femoral artery, I will recover in time. Others are not so fortunate,” Hayes said.

“The real heroes are the police and paramedics who did an amazing job in dreadful circumstances.”

He was taken to hospital in a critical condition and after undergoing surgery is expected to recover from his injuries.

Hayes is the director of a company based in the same building as the Hart Space, the studio being used for the Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class where the attack happened on Monday morning.

He tried to apprehend the attacker when he heard screams from the studio above, but said he does not consider himself a hero.

“I would not want any focus to shift from the families of the three girls who were so tragically killed and my heartfelt sympathy for the yoga teacher who was also caught up in this tragedy,” he said.

He added that he puts his “faith and trust in the judiciary in the hope this man never gets the opportunity to do something similar again”.

Lucas, 35, who was running the summer holiday event aimed at children aged six to 11, was left in a critical condition after the attack, but is reported to be awake and talking.

A family member told the Telegraph that she was stabbed repeatedly in the arms, neck and back as she tried to shield two children from the attacker.

Of the children who were injured in the knife attack, two have been discharged from hospital and five others are now in a stable condition, Alder Hey children’s hospital said.

In an update on Thursday morning, the Liverpool hospital said: “We are delighted that two of the children involved in Monday’s awful incident have now been discharged.

“We continue to treat five children involved in the devastating incident in Southport on Monday, including one recently transferred to us from Aintree University hospital. All the children in our care are currently in a stable condition.”

Axel Rudakubana, 17, appeared in court on Thursday charged with the murders of Bebe, Elsie and Alice, and with 10 counts of attempted murder. He used his sweatshirt to cover his face and did not speak. He was remanded in youth detention to appear at Liverpool crown court on 25 October.

The attack prompted widespread grief and horror across the country, with hundreds attending a vigil in the town. Taylor Swift was among those to offer her condolences, saying the attack had left her “completely in shock”.