You Don’t Know What I Went Through: Shark Attack Survivor Leah Stewart Responds to Critics Who Questioned Her Chilling Account
Leah Stewart, 34, has detailed her terrifying shark attack in a series of TV interviews. This week, she met with the Coogee lifeguards who saved her. (Good Morning Britain/Instagram/missleahstewart)
Shark survivor Leah Stewart has responded to criticism over her “calm” demeanour during her recent TV interviews, where she recalled the harrowing moment she came “very close to death”.
The 34-year-old was swimming between the flags at Coogee Beach in Sydney on the morning of June 13 when she was attacked by a shark.
Thanks to a rapid response from other beachgoers, she was rushed to hospital and plunged into a coma, where she spent several weeks undergoing surgeries and having part of her arm amputated.
In an interview with 60 Minutes this week, she said all she could think about was her baby daughter as she came face-to-face with the four-metre great white shark.
The attack happened as her 18-month-old baby sat with friends on the sand.
Leah also appeared on the UK’s TV breakfast program, Good Morning Britain, revealing she was “very close to death” as she attempted to “block” the shark from “biting my body or my face”.
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Leah Stewart has broken her silence for the first time since she was attacked by a shark two months ago.
(Supplied/GoFundMe)
“The shark, unfortunately, grabbed onto my left arm and just ripped the muscle, the skin, everything off my arm,” she told hosts Richard Madeley and Charlotte Hawkins.
“Then all of a sudden it grabbed onto my leg and ripped me under the water. And honestly, I’ve just never had so much fear”.
She said she felt “pure fear” when it began “pulling me under the water”. But miraculously, she survived.
Shark survivor responds to ‘calm’ TV interview reaction
Leah’s composed state during the TV interviews, describing her calculated decision-making when confronted by the shark, has drawn some criticism online, including from breakfast radio hosts Brendan Fevola, Nick Cody and Kate Langbroek.
The trio have reportedly come under fire for casting doubt on Leah’s survival story.
“I’ve never been in this position, and I wouldn’t understand what would go on, but if a shark was attacking you, you wouldn’t have much time to think,” Fevola said on Melbourne radio.
“No, most people say you don’t even know what’s happening,” agreed co-host Langbroek.
“I was on the couch with my wife Alex going, ‘She’s lying! Too much time to think!’ You’re not thinking all that, are you?” Fevola added.
Leah took to Instagram to set the record straight after the online reaction which included people defending her.
“Can’t believe the lack of empathy and cold-hearted comments on here!! What an amazing, courageous woman to fight for her life and endure such a horrific attack,” said one person online in support of Leah.
“I want to be vulnerable here,” the surviving mum began in a post on her stories on Wednesday in response to the interview.
“You may have noticed how calm I seemed describing the attack,” she continued.
“Truthfully, I still feel disconnected from it, almost like it happened in a dream. I think that’s my mind protecting me as I begin to process it.”
Leah admitted she’s “a bit scared to move past this current state of mind” but is hopeful as she continues with her recovery.
Leah Stewart praises beach ‘heroes’ who helped save her
During her interviews, Leah thanked the “heroes on the beach” who helped save her life, and she recently reunited for a photo with two of the Coogee lifeguards who attended to her.
“Got to meet these absolute legends today,” she shared on Instagram on Wednesday.
“Last time we met, they were performing CPR and breathing for me; this time, we had a big hug and got to hang out at Maroubra Surf Lifesaving Club. Thanks for being a literal lifesaver.”
Leah took to Instagram in response to her TV interviews.
(Instagram/missleahstewart)
In a separate post, she said, “I owe my life to them and beyond gratitude, I want to pay forward the absolute army of support I’ve been blessed with.”
“I still have a long journey of recovery, but there isn’t a single day I take for granted. It’s hard, but knowing that I’ve had such a collective support pushes me to be better, not bitter.”
Leah recently celebrated her daughter’s first birthday, sharing a sweet photo online.
“I am so grateful that I am here for her, for us,” she said.
