A man has claimed to be the Portsmouth Tesco T-Rex - here's what he had to say

The joker, who remains anonymous but said he will reveal his identity on Facebook Live, responded to The News after coverage of the stunt at Tesco North Harbour brought thousands of laughs to readers. Foster carer Lissie Broom, who lives near Port Solent, videoed the dinosaur’s arrival at the store on Tuesday after it appeared in the car park and made her daughter laugh. Now the man, who says he is in his 20s, has shared a message for those who cackled at his antics. ‘The reaction to this has been absolutely amazing,’ he said. ‘I want to make people smile at this difficult time. Laughter is a medicine. ‘If we work together as the whole of the UK we can get through this, as long as people listen to the guidance from government and stay at home unless they absolutely have to leave.’ The costumed carnivore has also made an appearance at the Jollyes Pet Superstore in North Harbour and Asda in Havant. But the man behind the quirky character has revealed it wasn’t thought up just to make people laugh. ‘The reason I initially decided to do this was because of safety,’ he said. ‘The suit, which I wash every time I wear it, is 2m long and that’s how far we’re being told to stand apart because of coronavirus. ‘I also wear gloves and a face mask underneath, with my normal clothes. ‘I now wear it because it makes so many people laugh and that’s a great feeling.’ SEE ALSO: Coronavirus in Portsmouth: latest updates as sites considered for Nightingale hospital, Portsmouth death toll reaches 56 The dinosaur now has its own Facebook profile, ‘Rexs Mike’, where the man soon plans to reveal his identity. But that will not happen before midday on Monday, when he plans to make another laugh-inducing trip to Tesco. ‘The T-rex only leaves the house to buy essentials, after all dinosaurs need toilet paper too,’ he said. ‘I’ve decided to keep my identity closed up for now because in the past I have done things that have scared people. ‘But this is about making people smile, and I will be broadcasting my identity live on the Facebook page in the future.’ A message from the Editor Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.