I was the Aussie almost killed by a great white shark – this is how I survived as it held onto my leg
Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old teacher and mother, has spoken publicly for the first time about the great white shark attack that nearly killed her at Sydney's Coogee Beach on 13 June. She was swimming between the flags when she was attacked, spending two weeks in a coma and undergoing multiple surgeries, including the amputation of one arm, before beginning a long recovery process. Her account, given to Tracy Grimshaw for 60 Minutes, matters both as a harrowing survival story and as a fresh reminder of the dangers posed by shark encounters at popular Australian beaches.
In the interview, due to air the following Sunday, Stewart described the shark's face as "horrific" and recalled that her only thought during the attack was of her one-year-old daughter, August, saying she refused to let the girl grow up without a mother. The programme will also broadcast the emergency triple-0 call made by a bystander at the scene. Separately, Stewart has thanked supporters behind a fundraiser that has raised more than $558,000, money that will help her family keep their home and fund further medical treatment, and said the outpouring of support has driven her recovery and her determination to "get better, not bitter".
- Leah Stewart recounts surviving a great white shark attack at Coogee Beach
- She lost an arm and spent two weeks in a coma
- A $558,000-plus fundraiser is supporting her family's recovery
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Leah Stewart is a 34-year-old teacher and mother from Sydney who was attacked by a great white shark while swimming between the safety flags at Coogee Beach on 13 June. The attack left her critically injured, and she spent two weeks in a coma and underwent multiple surgeries, including the amputation of one arm.
Stewart has now given her first public account of the ordeal in an interview with Tracy Grimshaw for the current affairs programme 60 Minutes. Shark attacks, while rare, draw significant public attention in Australia because of how popular beach swimming is as part of everyday life there, and cases involving well-known beaches like Coogee tend to prompt wider conversation about beach safety.
Since the attack, a public fundraiser has been set up to support Stewart and her family, helping with costs such as ongoing medical treatment and keeping their home. The scale of support she has received has become part of her recovery story, alongside the practical and emotional challenges of adjusting to life after such a severe injury.