British mother hailed a hero after drowning while saving sons in Bahamas

Nathan Gregory described his wife, Leanne, 36, as a hero after she drowned in the Bahamas while attempting to save their two sons from a rip tide.

The couple, from Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, were on a snorkeling expedition in Bimini, Bahamas, celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary, just 48 hours into their holiday, when the tragedy occurred.

According to Nathan Gregory, his sons, Scott and Leo, were swept away by a strong current while playing in shallow water. Leanne Gregory immediately swam towards their youngest son, Leo, to keep him afloat. Nathan Gregory managed to reach their older son, Scott, but struggled against the powerful waves.

He recalled screaming for help from a passing boat. "I screamed with all my heart for a passing boat," he said. "It took a lot of screaming and people on the beach joined me, but eventually they noticed and started following my directions."

His wife, Leanne, used her remaining strength to boost Leo towards the rescue boat. However, as Leo was brought aboard, a large wave struck the boat, pushing it away from Leanne and sweeping her under the water. She briefly reappeared before disappearing completely.

Rescuers were able to bring Leanne Gregory out of the water and administer CPR, but she was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to a local clinic. Nathan Gregory stated that if his wife had not held Leo above water, their youngest son would have died before the boat arrived.

Nathan Gregory, who has launched a GoFundMe page to support his sons, described his wife as "the most amazing person who ever walked this earth," his soulmate and childhood sweetheart. They had known each other since primary school and began dating at age 14.

"She was the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the foundation of our entire family and the strength that held us all together," he said. "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."

The Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed that foul play is not suspected and an autopsy will be conducted. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated that they are providing support to the family.