MODEL PETRA NEMCOVA WILL SHE LOSE HER LEG?
January 11, 2005 |
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Gorgeous Czechborn Victoria's Secret supermodel Petra Nemcova sustained injuries in the south Asia tsunami that were so devastating she may never walk again, a source tells Star.
The stunning 25-year-old runway princess and her boyfriend, London-based fashion photographer Simon Atlee, were in their beachfront bungalow in Phuket, Thailand, on Dec. 26 when a mammoth wave knocked it down.
The wave swept Atlee out to sea --he's still missing -- and broke Nemcova's pelvis and crushed her leg. A source close to Nemcova tells Star, "We don't know if she will walk again. She might have to have an amputation."
After latching onto a palm tree for eight hours and watching corpses float by, Petra -- a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model -- was saved and airlifted to a hospital.
Tragically, Atlee, 33, hasn't been found. Nemcova's rep tells Star: "Petra's safely recovering in a hospital in Thailand. She's in shock." She and Atlee have been dating for two years, and Petra planned their Thailand trip as a surprise.
A source tells Star that Nemcova is on potent painkillers and "doesn't realize how bad her condition is. Her awareness of the magnitude of the disaster may not be in line with reality. She understands Simon is missing, but she still thinks he'll be found. She's not at the point where she feels that there's no chance that he's alive."
Nemcova's sister Olga, 23, flew to Thailand from New York on Dec. 27 to be at her sister's side. The source says Olga will decide if Petra will be treated in Czechoslovakia or the U.S.
-- DAVID CAPLAN |
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