This is the dramatic moment a petite female intern with a hidden skill in kickboxing fought off a drunk male nurse assaulting her at a hospital in Thailand.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, Petcharaporn Phadungjai, 22, said today she was working a night shift when a colleague crept up behind her and groped her.

But he was unaware that her hobby is Muay Thai boxing - and she kneed him in the crotch and then kicked him in the stomach.

Dramatic CCTV footage shows how the alleged molester put the young woman in a headlock before trying to drag her toward a fire exit.

Petcharaporn, who was training to become a nurse, said she feared the man would rape her during the ordeal, which happened while she was still 19 last year.

However, Petcharaporn managed to break free by kneeing the assailant in the crotch, causing him to loosen his grip. She then followed up with a karate kick into his stomach while raising her right fist and shouting at him to back off.

The incident was reported to police, and the male nurse was fired from the hospital as he had also reportedly harassed other female interns before at the hospital in Samut Prakan on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Speaking today, Petcharaporn said she had ordered dinner from a nearby food stall where the man had been drinking.

She said: 'At that time, the vendor was busy with customers and could not deliver the food herself. So the perpetrator volunteered to deliver the food. However, men were not allowed in the women's ward, so I had to go get it from him.

'When he arrived, he told me to scan the QR code to pay for the food. I placed the phone on the desk, and that's when he grabbed me from behind. I fought him with all my might.

'I have been doing Muay Thai boxing since I was a kid. I know how to kick, knee and punch someone. I know how to wrestle with them. It was my instinctive reaction to protect myself.'

Petcharaporn added that the man, who was over 30 years old, had allegedly been flirtatious towards her during her internship, often calling her 'darling' or telling her he liked her, but she dismissed it as just teasing.

Petcharaporn said: 'I'm lucky my grandfather taught me the self-defence skills when I was a young girl. Those lessons saved my life.'

Muay Thai is a combat sport that combines boxing, kickboxing and martial arts. It originates from Cambodia where soldiers used it in wars. It is similar to UFC or MMA in the United States.

Footballer Mario Balotelli was on holiday in Phuket earlier this month where he was training in Muay Thai at a camp on the island.