Newlyweds from Edgware thought they would ‘meet their end’ on the cruise liner which sank off the coast of Italy.

The Costa Concordia hit a rock on Friday and 4,200 passengers had to be rescued.

Honeymooners Ian and Janice Donoff, who had been married for just 11 days, were among them.

Mr Donoff told the BBC: “It seemed unfair that we would meet our end after just 11 days together.”

The couple were enjoying a magic show when passengers in the lower levels of the auditorium rapidly left. Mrs Donoff said: “We weren’t panicking at that stage. The tannoy announcement said that everything was okay.”

When the ship began listing severely, Mr Donoff said panic set in and they had to improvise with an electrician’s ladder to climb up the side of the ship to safety.

The captain of the ship, Francesco Schettino, was under house arrest as the Observer went to press and is accused of causing the crash and of abandoning the Costa Concordia before passengers had been evacuated.