'It Was a Monster': Great White Shark Attack Survivor Leah Stewart Opens Up in Emotional Interview – 'It Was Holding Onto My Leg'

Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old mother and teacher who survived a horrific great white shark attack at Sydney's Coogee Beach, has spoken publicly for the first time.

In a highly emotional preview for an upcoming interview on 60 Minutes Australia, Stewart detailed her vivid memories of the encounter, describing the 11.5-foot predator as a "monster" with a "horrific" face.

Stewart was between the flags and close to the shore when she was mauled during her regular morning swim on June 13.

The shark latched onto her leg and dragged her underwater before she managed to surface and was rescued by a nearby paddleboarder.

"It was holding onto my leg," she recalled.

As she fought for her life, her thoughts immediately turned to her 18-month-old daughter. "All I was thinking of was August and I thought, she's not going to have a mum," Stewart said through tears. "I couldn't handle that.”

She noted that her memory of the event remains crystal-clear, stating, "Its face was horrific. I will never forget. It was a monster.”

The attack left Stewart in critical condition with devastating injuries to her arms and legs, leading to a complex medical road to recovery.

She lost a massive amount of blood, spent nearly two weeks in a medically induced coma and underwent multiple life-saving surgeries, which ultimately required the amputation of one of her arms.

Alongside the interview preview, Stewart shared a personal message on her GoFundMe page, stating she can finally "see some light" and feels she has been given a "second chance at life."

Out of gratitude, Stewart officially turned off donations on the page after it surpassed $558,000, noting the world's generosity has secured enough options for her ongoing rehabilitation and medical care.

Her outlook remains resilient: "You've inspired me to get better, not bitter."

“I’m so happy that I’ve progressed enough to build some independence, and I can finally see some light after all of this. At this point, I think it’s appropriate for us to turn off donations on the [fundraiser] because what you’ve offered has given us enough to recover, to stay in our home, and to give us options for further medical treatment down the road,” she wrote.

The severity of Stewart's attack, occurring at a heavily populated beach, reignited intense public debate regarding shark mitigation strategies in New South Wales.

In response to this and other recent incidents, the NSW government expanded its coastal protections by implementing a massive drone surveillance program across dozens of beaches to spot predators from dawn to dusk.

The full, extended interview detailing her survival story is scheduled to air on Australian network Nine's 60 Minutes on Sunday, August 30.