Two months after surviving a suspected Great White attack at Coogee Beach, Leah Stewart has spoken publicly for the first time about the moments she thought she wouldn’t survive – and the daughter she thought she’d never see grow up.
The 34-year-old teacher was attacked at Coogee on 13 June, an ordeal that left her fighting for her life and ultimately cost her an arm.
In an interview ahead of a 60 Minutes special airing in Australia on Sunday night, Stewart described the split-second thought that consumed her as the shark pulled at her leg: her young daughter, August, and the fear that she was about to grow up without a mother.
When describing the moment, she said “Its face was horrific, I’m never going to forget its face. It was a monster.”
What’s striking about this update isn’t just the horror of the attack itself – it’s how far Stewart has come since. In a message posted to her GoFundMe page, which has now raised more than $558,000 and is no longer accepting donations, Stewart herself described her recovery as remarkable.
She’s been focused on healing rather than public updates, and says she’s slowly rebuilding independence and starting to see light on the other side of an incredibly difficult few months.
In what we’ve seen of the interview so far, Leah has repeatedly credited to what surrounded her afterward: the outpouring of support from family, friends, and strangers around the world, which she credits as playing a real role in her physical and emotional recovery.
Leah has also spoken about wanting to use this “second chance” to give back more generosity, care, and love than she received, and has said she intends to come out of this experience better, not bitter.
The full interview airs in Australia on 60 Minutes this Sunday at 8:30pm, and will likely be the first time many hear the complete account in her own words – not just the moment of the attack, but everything that’s come since: the surgery, the small milestones of getting her independence back, and the daughter who was the reason she fought to survive at all.
For now, what we know is this: a mother went to the beach in June and nearly didn’t come home to her daughter. Two months later, she’s not just surviving – she’s talking about what she wants to build from here.
This post is based on reporting from Nine.com.au. Full details and the upcoming 60 Minutes interview can be found via their original coverage.
Feature image: Leah Stewart | Nine Australia
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