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Privacy Notice A BBC star is being hailed as a hero after bravely rescuing a woman who was attempting to end her own life in the sea. BBC broadcaster Linda Sinclair had gone swimming on Inganess beach in Orkney when, while in the water, she saw the worrying sight of a woman crying, before taking her shoes off and walking fully clothed into the Scottish sea. The Mail reports that Linda, a broadcaster for the BBC in Scotland said: “I watched her crying, take off her shoes and walk fully clothed into the water… Automatically I knew something was wrong, so I went to her aid”.
A BBC star is being hailed as a hero after diving into the sea to rescue a woman
(Image: lindajsinclair/X)
The BBC’s Linda Sinclair had gone for a morning swim on the Orkneys when she spotted the woman attempting to drown herself in the sea
(Image: Getty Images)
The journalist, 53, led the sobbing lady back to the beach – but the desperate woman then turned around, left dry land and went back into the sea. Linda, of East Dunbartonshire, recalled: “I don’t know how long I was in there with her for. I wasn’t focused on time, I just wanted to get her to safety… I spoke to her about her life and her family and reassured her that ending her own life wasn’t the answer, nor was it her only option.” Linda then ran to the road close to the beach to attempt to flag down a helpful passer-by to call 999 to get professional help for the woman. Linda did find a police officer and a friend who knew the distressed lady. But, she explains it felt like help was not coming quick enough: “It seemed like time was passing by and she was still in the water… I couldn’t understand why no one was helping.” Sign up to OK!’s daily newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
Linda, 53, is a journalist for the BBC
(Image: lindajsinclair/X)
So, the broadcaster bravely swam back into the sea a second time to help the woman, joining her and treading water until paramedics eventually arrived on the scene. The woman gave the BBC broadcaster a “huge” hug before being led away for medical help. The news comes today on World Mental Health Day. Mental health i s a particularly poignant topic for Linda, who says she herself lost a family member to suicide in 2018. She shared: “It’s bittersweet but I am glad that my personal understanding helped to prevent another family from the most indescribable pain… A lot of people have called me a hero and said I’m so brave for stepping in, but I don’t see it that way, I just instinctively reacted.” Linda has also been quick to remind people that they too could need to save someone’s life unexpectedly, and the importance of understanding mental health in an emergency, adding: ”One day you might be the lifeline someone needs.” If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this story you can contact Samaritans in the UK and Ireland on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnMental healthHealthBBC
