Twin who fought off crocodile plans charity swim

Georgia Laurie (right) saved her twin sister Melissa from a crocodile two years ago

A woman who saved her twin sister from the jaws of a crocodile is planning to complete a charity river swim to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Georgia Laurie, 30, from Sandhurst in Berkshire, punched the crocodile in the face when it attacked her twin Melissa in Mexico in June 2021.

While Melissa is almost completely recovered, Georgia said they were both still suffering from the mental impacts of the attack.

She said they had an "overwhelming desire to make something positive about what happened".

Melissa Laurie developed sepsis after the attack

The twins were swimming in a lagoon near Puerto Escondido, when Melissa was dragged under the water.

Both were treated in hospital where Melissa developed sepsis and was put into a medically induced coma.

While she is not suffering from many long-term physical after-effects, recovering mentally "takes a bit more time", Georgia said.

They have both suffered from disassociation linked to PTSD.

Georgia and Melissa want to raise money for good causes

"You feel like you're stuck in a freeze-mode state," Georgia said.

She said they wanted to "do something to help other people" - but has her sights set on something "more physically challenging" than an ordinary race.

"We want to do some charity swims," she said.

She said one event would be the 13km (8 mile) Thames Marathon swim in August 2024, with the aim of raising money for a mental health charity in the UK to support people with PTSD, as well as a charity in Mexico.

"I have always struggled with mental health… for years," she said.

"I just want to give something back because we had a lot of help from the community and we want to do something to help other people."