Featured Image Credit: Facebook
Topics: News
Kimberley Bond
The fiancée of shark attack victim Simon Nellist has spoken out following his death.
British national Nellist, 35, was mauled by a great white shark as he practiced for a charity swim event in Little Bay, Sydney, Australia.
His partner, Jessie Ho, has since broken her silence following his tragic death, taking to social media to share a photo of the pair as well as the date he proposed.
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Ho and Nellist were due to get married in 2020, but were forced to delay their wedding due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
After Ho posted on Facebook, many friends were quick to comment how sorry they were for her loss.
“I love the story of the not-so-surprising surprise engagement,” one friend commented. “Simon was truly one of the good ones and I will miss him.”
The post comes days after Nellist’s family issued a statement following news of his death.
“Simon was a gentle, kind and wonderful human being. He was a cherished fiancée, son, brother, uncle and friend,” they told the BBC.
“Simon was funny, compassionate and always had time for people. He had a rare gift of instantly being able to connect with others, gaining their trust and respect.”
Having grown up on the west Cornwall village of Ludgvan, Nellist emigrated to Australia with fiancée Ho and worked as a diving instructor.
"Simon had a great passion for nature and the sea, as well as being a very talented photographer," his family added, saying they were “very proud of him” and would "miss him terribly".
Nellist’s death marks Sydney’s first fatal shark attack in 60 years.
Following news of the attack on Wednesday 16th February, Australian authorities closed more than a dozen of the city’s beaches, banning swimmers from entering the water.
The Malabar Ocean Swim, which Nellist was thought to be training for, has been cancelled out of respect.