Model Petra Nemcova barely survived the tsunami – her fiancé died

December 26, 2004 changed Petra Nemcova’s life forever. The model spent the holidays in Khao Lak, Thailand, with her fiancé, photographer Simon Atlee. It was the last day of their vacation when a tsunami hit the Indian Ocean and did not spare their holiday bungalow. Her fiancé did not survive the natural disaster, while Nemcova clung to a palm tree for several hours and survived with a broken pelvis and serious internal injuries. 20 years after the accident, Nemcova has now spoken about how she looks back on the traumatic experiences today.

“Everything happened in a split second,” said the Czech native. “I looked up and saw frantic movements and people jumping, and the next second the wave crashed into the bungalow and broke all the glass windows.” Shards of glass cut into her skin while the entire bungalow sank into the water. She remembers exactly how Atlee called out to her: “I heard Simon screaming my name,” says the 45-year-old. “And that was the last time I heard him.”

Nemcova also remembers well the moment when she saw her own death in front of her eyes and made peace with dying: “At one point I couldn’t breathe anymore. And I thought: ‘That’s it’. This is mine last moment. And I let go. And that was the most beautiful moment of my life,” describes the now 45-year-old. “And then, miraculously, I could see the sky again.”

She clung to the large leaves of a palm tree, where she held on for eight hours while she was unable to move or feel her legs. All she was aware of was the excruciating pain of her shattered pelvis – but also the emotional damage of what was happening around her. The screams of children filled the air. “Half an hour later I couldn’t hear them anymore. And that meant they couldn’t hold on anymore. I couldn’t swim out to them because I was trapped by debris. That day I couldn’t help. I had no one else election,” says Nemcova.

Today the model primarily looks back on the “many lessons” she learned from the disaster. Back in 2005, she turned her personal tragedy into something positive: With her “Happy Hearts Fund,” Nemcova set herself the goal of supporting children who suffer such disasters by rebuilding safe schools in the affected areas. “Hearing children screaming for help and not being able to help them leaves a deep impression. Today and every day I have the choice to help,” said Nemcova. Her charity work helped her find purpose in life after the tsunami disaster.

Emotionally, Nemcova also tried to stay positive and face the challenge of grieving her fiancé. After her injuries healed, she traveled back to Thailand in the spring of 2006 to honor Atlee and thank volunteers and locals. She also took a scuba dive – an activity she and Atlee had enjoyed during their vacation just days before the devastating tsunami.

Petra Nemcova is now happy again in her private life: in 2019 she married the entrepreneur Benjamin Larretche, with whom she shares her five-year-old son Bohdi.

But she also admits that it took a few years before “the sound of palm leaves falling on the roof of a hotel or bungalow” no longer caused her body to panic. But she worked hard to get the fear under control. “And then she lost power over me. If you appreciate the gift of air, if you appreciate the ability to move your legs, everything is much richer,” says Nemcova. “Life is happier. You live instead of just surviving.”