Michael Owen, 22, coaxed the distressed woman away from the bridge as he helped keep her from falling into the busy M4 motorway below.
The rugby player continued to grip her hand to make sure she didn’t slip despite having broken his finger when playing.
Mr Owen, from Cwmavon, South Wales, was travelling with girlfriend Jemma Richards when they spotted the woman standing on the edge of the bridge near Chippenham, Wilts.
The 6ft 5ins bouncer said: “We were driving over the bridge when my partner pointed out a woman standing on the other side of the bridge.
“I immediately pulled over to try and slow down the traffic and to help her.”
The woman had jumped over the bridge’s safety barriers and was facing the busy motorway below.
The rugby player added: “I got to her and started talking to her. She was clearly very upset, so I just talked about anything I could think of with her.”
The heroic rugby player said the distressed woman seemed to calm down after hearing his broad Welsh accent.
Mr Owen, who lays for Chinnor Rugby Club, said: “She said she liked my accent and we talked about rugby. That helped a lot.”
Two fire engines rushed to the scene but Mr Owen stayed with the woman for over an hour as she was too scared to climb down.
The rugby player gritted his teeth through the pain as the woman held onto his injured hand.
Mr Owen said: “We waited a good hour, because she was too frightened to go down a ladder, so they needed to bring out a second engine.
“The police closed off the road and parked a lorry underneath the bridge, just in case she fell off.”
Mr Owen’s sister Sarah said: “I am just so proud of him for his actions, I could just burst with pride, and I know the entire family could too.
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