Supermodel Petra Nemcova says it’s still ‘difficult’ to discuss tsunami survival on its 20th anniversary

Twenty years ago, Petra Nemcova woke up the morning after Christmas and was preparing to leave her holiday in Thailand when disaster struck.

In 2004, Nemcova was 25 years old and vacationing with her fashion photographer boyfriend, Simon Atlee, when a tsunami ripped through their bungalow along the Andaman coast.

A magnitude 9.5 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia caused the world’s worst tsunami.

Petra Nemcova recalled the “pain” she still feels 20 years after the devastating tsunami in Thailand. (Getty Images)

Atlee was swept away by the waves and not found for three months, and the young supermodel was forced to cling to a palm tree for eight hours to survive.

SUPERMODEL PETRA NEMCOVA REMEMBERS “SPLIT SECONDS” BEFORE SHE ALMOST DIED IN 2004 TSUNAMI

ABC News’ Diane Sawyer interviewed Nemcova ahead of the 20th anniversary of the tragic natural disaster.

The now 45-year-old said the pain of hearing children’s screams and not being able to help them is still “strong” with her “every single day”.

“It’s always hard to go back to the moment when my life changed.”

—Petra Nemcova

“It’s always hard to go back to the moment when my life changed,” she told Sawyer.

On December 26, 2004, Nemcova and Atlee were living in Khao Lak, Thailand – and preparing to end their trip when the tsunami hit.

Speaking of depending on a palm tree to survive, Nemcova said, “I went into this silence, almost like a meditative state, because I knew that if I start to panic, you lose more energy. And I needed for all my energy to stay alive.”

Atlee’s body was discovered and identified on March 3, 2004. He was among nearly 230,000 people believed to have died in the tsunami.

Simon Atlee, Petra Nemcova’s boyfriend at the time, did not survive the tsunami. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)

It was a miracle that Nemcova survived. When she was rescued, her clothes had been ripped off and she was suffering from a broken pelvis and internal injuries, GMA reported.

The people who saved Nemcova were strangers. They gave her clothes, put her on a mattress and pushed her through dirt to get medical attention.

“Those people were ready to risk their lives for strangers,” Nemcova said. “And it shows you the best of humanity.”

Petra Nemcova clung to a palm tree to save her life. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)

In November, Nemcova told People“Everything happened in a split second. I looked up to see frantic movements and people jumping and in the next second the wave crashes into the bungalow and breaks all the glass windows.”

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Nemcova remembered her last moment with Atlee when shards of glass cut into her.

“I heard Simon scream my name and that was the last time I heard him.”

The model tried to hold on, but eventually “let go.”

Petra Nemkova and Simon Atlee were packing to leave their holiday in Thailand at the time of the tsunami. (Photo by Michel Dufour/WireImage)

“At one point I couldn’t breathe anymore. And I thought, ‘That’s it’. This is my last moment and I let go, and actually it was the most blissful moment of my life,” Nemcova explained.

“And then by a miracle I was able to see the sky again.”

She could not feel or move her legs at that time as she listened to children’s screams.

“Half an hour later, I couldn’t hear them anymore,” Nemcova told People. “And that meant they couldn’t hold on. I couldn’t swim out (to them) because I was trapped by debris. That day I couldn’t help. I had no choice.”

After surviving, Nemcova set out to give back.

Petra Nemcova founded the Happy Hearts Fund in 2005. (Photo by R. Born/WireImage)

She created the Happy Hearts Fund in 2005 as a way to rebuild schools in areas affected by natural disasters.

“Hearing children screaming for help and not being able to help them, it leaves such a powerful mark,” explained Nemcova. “Today and every day I have a choice to help.”

Since 2005, the Happy Hearts Fund has grown to All hands and hearts.

The organization will arrive in areas about to be hit by natural disasters to help prepare and then rebuild homes and schools in the aftermath, according to People.

Petra Nemcova flew back to Thailand in 2005 to honor Simon Atlee. (Photo by Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

Nemcova traveled back to Thailand in 2005 to honor Atlee. The supermodel also chose to face her fear of water head-on by diving during the trip.

“I went underwater and I was in a panic,” Nemcova recalled to the outlet. “My heart was going so fast and I just couldn’t even breathe properly, but it’s very important not to live a life with any fear. That’s why I did it.”

She admitted that it took a few years before “the sound of palm fronds crashing on the roof of a hotel or a bungalow” did not revive her memories.

“And then it lost its power over me,” Nemcova explained. “If you appreciate the gift of air, if you appreciate the ability to move your legs, everything else is much richer. Your life is happier. You’re living instead of just surviving.”

Petra Nemcova will light candles in honor of the lives lost on December 26. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)

On December 26, Nemcova told ABC News that she will be with All Hands and Hearts volunteers lighting candles in memory of the lives lost in the 2004 natural disaster.

“We want to invite everyone to join us in lighting a candle to bring more light to the world,” she said.

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Among the volunteers at All Hands and Hearts is Atlee’s family.

In 2019, Nemcova married entrepreneur Benjamin Larretche, and the couple share a son, Bodhi.

Petra Nemcova married Benjamina Larreche in 2019. (Photo by Gisela Schober/Getty Images)

“I have a son and I have a beautiful husband and there are so many blessings to be thankful for,” she said, noting that Atlee’s family has been nothing but kind and loving to her since the disaster.

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“I was lucky because I met my other twin flame … Ben is my twin flame and he’s an incredible soul and I just feel so lucky because I didn’t know it was going to happen,” Nemcova shared. Sawyer.