The husband of a British woman who drowned while attempting to save her two sons from powerful currents has described how he “screamed with all my heart” at a passing boat to come to their aid.
Nathan Gregory is devastated by the death of his childhood sweetheart, Leanne Gregory, 36, who died on Tuesday during a family snorkelling trip off Bimini in the Bahamas.
He said his wife died a “hero” after battling through the waves to reach their youngest son. Leanne managed to keep him above water until help arrived, but was too exhausted to save herself.
The family had been on holiday for just 48 hours when tragedy struck. They were taking the first day of a cruise around the islands to mark their 10th wedding anniversary.
Mr Gregory, from Stapleford in Nottinghamshire, said the loss had been “unimaginable”. He and Leanne had known each other since primary school and began dating when they were 14.
He is now facing the task of raising their two sons alone, without his wife’s income. Reluctantly, and only after encouragement from friends and relatives, he created a GoFundMe page to help support the boys in the wake of their mother’s death.
Mr Gregory said the family had barely arrived at the beach before the two boys were caught in trouble.
Speaking publicly about the ordeal for the first time, he said: “The boys hopped into a shallow point of water with their snorkel masks because they were so excited to be in the Bahamas.
Nathan Gregory is grieving the death of his childhood sweetheart, Leanne, 36, who drowned in the Bahamas
Nathan said his wife died a “hero” after swimming through the waves to reach their youngest son and holding him above water until he was rescued
“Leanne and I were still unpacking our towels and snorkels. When we turned around a minute later, the boys had been swept away from the calm water where they had been paddling and towards dangerous water caught in a rip current.
“We could see they were struggling. I ran towards Scott, while Leanne dived in and swam after Leo. The water was almost impossible to push through.
“Scott was roughly half the distance away compared with his brother, yet Leanne somehow reached Leo first. I still cannot understand how she moved so quickly through water that I could barely make any progress in.
“She moved faster than I had ever seen her move, seeming to appear beside him almost instantly.
“People talk about mothers having special powers, and I saw that in Leanne.
“I do not know whether it was love, a mother’s strength or divine intervention, but something happened that I had never witnessed before.
“She reached Leo and kept his head above water, despite being overwhelmed by the force and turbulence of the sea.”
Mr Gregory said he reached his older son, Scott, and tried to lift him onto his back, but the power of the waves pulled them both down.
“I thought, if I do not get help, we are all going to die,” he said. “Leanne could not move while holding Leo, and I could not move with Scott.
“So I had to make the hardest decision of my life. I told Scott to float on his back and keep his head above the water while I went to get help. I knew he could do it.”
‘I screamed with all my heart for a passing boat. It took a lot of screaming and people on the beach joined me, but eventually they noticed and started following my directions.’
The distressed father said his wife used her ‘last bit of strength’ to boost Leo towards the rescue boat.
‘But seconds after she got him aboard, a massive freak wave hit the side of the boat and sent it metres away from her, sweeping her under,’ he recalled. ‘She reappeared for a moment, but then completely disappeared from view.’
The couple had been enjoying a cruise ahead of their tenth wedding anniversary, which they would have marked in December
With the assistance of others, Mr Gregory was able to bring his wife out of the water and give her CPR, but she died shortly after being taken to hospital.
‘If it wasn’t for Leanne staying strong and holding my youngest boy, he would have died minutes before the boat finally arrived.
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‘She died a total hero and she needs to be remembered as one. I just wish I was the strong swimmer, so it was me instead of her.’
Paying tribute to his wife, Mr Gregory described her as ‘the most amazing person who ever walked this earth’.
He added: ‘There are no words I can use to describe Leanne, same as anyone she ever knew.
‘In life she was our everything. She was a senior general manager at work and she was the same in our lives. The hardest worker, but she still had time for us and so many others around us.
‘As a mum she couldn’t have been better. Her kids loved her to bits. She was fair, balanced and generous, incredibly organised and seemed to have 48 hours in her day.
‘She always had time for her family, friends, colleagues and anyone who needed help.
‘She was the purest of people, the most generous, kind and beautiful person. She was my soulmate, my childhood sweetheart, my one and only.
‘Our relationship was perfect. She was the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the foundation of our entire family and the strength that held us all together.
‘We never fought. We had the world at our feet and so many plans for what we were going to do as we grew older.
‘She was the support system to our boys, and me. If you could describe the perfect family, it’s what we had – and anyone we know would agree with that.’
The loss of his wife, he added, had left ‘a hole that can never be filled’.
Mr Gregory said: ‘Between me and her there has never been a love more pure, never been two people more made for each other.
‘I will never get over this. Our lives will never be the same.
‘I will stay strong for my boys. I will raise them exactly as she wanted and make sure they succeed, as this is all she wanted. I’ve just got to be there for their every need.’
Mr Gregory’s mother Kim Jones has also paid tribute to her daughter-in-law.
She told The Telegraph: ‘She was the best mum in the world, just brilliant; a lovely woman who would do anything for anyone.
‘Leanne and Nathan have been together for more than 20 years. They were schoolkid sweethearts and I’ve always been very close to both of them.
‘It’s all such a shock. I cannot imagine how my son will be feeling.’
In a statement, posted on social media, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said: ‘According to the preliminary report, shortly after 10am, officers at the Alice Town police station received information that a female was unresponsive at the North Bimini Ferry Dock.
‘Officers responded and, upon arrival, learned that the woman had been transported to the local clinic for medical attention, where she was subsequently pronounced dead by a local doctor despite efforts to save her life.
‘Preliminary information indicates that the deceased was snorkelling with her husband and two sons near the southern point of the island when a strong current reportedly swept both children away.
‘In an attempt to rescue her sons, the woman was also swept away.
‘She was later rescued and transported to the ferry dock, where CPR was reportedly administered.
‘Foul play is not suspected at this time. An autopsy will be conducted to assist in determining the exact cause of death.’
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘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.’