The husband of a British woman who died rescuing their sons when they were swept away to sea in the Bahamas says she was a “hero… in life and in death”.
Leanne Gregory, from Stapleford in Nottinghamshire, had been snorkelling with her family when the boys were swept away by a strong current, police said.
Although the children were rescued from the water off the island of Bimini on Tuesday, their mother was unable to be saved, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.
Nathan Gregory said the loss of his 36-year-old “childhood sweetheart” was “unimaginable for our family”.
‘Absolute hero’
“She was the purest, most amazing wife, mother and friend to have ever walked this Earth,” her husband said in a Facebook post.
“I will never get over this, she was my soulmate, my childhood sweetheart, my one and only. The foundation of my entire family and the strength that held us all together.
“My boys had to witness something nobody should ever have to see of any age, but they know Mum died an absolute hero.”
Gregory said he had also set up a fundraising page “for my sons and security after the tragic loss”.
In the post on that page he described how his wife, who he had been with for 22 years, had held on to their son until he was rescued “but didn’t have the energy to save herself”.
He added: “I just have to be thankful for the hero she was in life and in death, and totally grateful for the fact my boys got out safely.”
In a statement posted on social media, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said officers received reports shortly after 10:00 local time on Tuesday that a woman had been found unresponsive at the North Bimini Ferry Dock.
It added after she was swept away, she was brought to the ferry dock where CPR was given.
Mrs Gregory was then taken to a local medical clinic but was confirmed dead there, the police force said.
It said an autopsy would be conducted but “foul play is not suspected”.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office added: “Our thoughts are with the family of a British woman who has died in the Bahamas.
“We are in contact with the local authorities and providing support to her family.”
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