Cruise ship plunge Brit Kay Longstaff says ‘I just want to go home’ as she’s reunited with boyfriend and prepares to head home
Kay Longstaff, an air hostess from Cheltenham, is thought to have jumped off the back of a ship following a drunken row with her boyfriend
A BRIT woman who is thought to have jumped off the back of a cruise ship declared she was ready to go home following an emotional reunion with her partner.
Kay Longstaff, an air hostess from Cheltenham who plunged into the sea following a drunken row with her boyfriend, told medics "what happened has happened" as she prepared to leave hospital.
The 46-year-old survived 10 hours floating in the Adriatic Sea after leaping off the ship on Saturday night as it travelled from Dubrovnik to Venice.
She later credited yoga with keeping her fit enough to survive, and said she sang to keep herself warm while lost at sea.
Hospital director Irena Hrstic today revealed that Kay said: "It has happened, what has happened and I want to come home as soon as possible."
It comes after Kay reportedly had an "emotional and full of love" reunion with her boyfriend, expat Craig Rayment.
"We were woken up by the alarm bells going off and then there was an announcement from the captain.
"He said: 'I'm calling to alert you now that we have a reported jumper off the ship and we're in a search and rescue mission'."
The Daily Mail also reported she suffered an injury to her face when she landed in the sea.
A source with knowledge of the rescue operation told the paper: "She had hypothermia and a haematoma on her right cheek from where she hit the water.
"It was at the very moment that she thought she wouldn’t survive, that was when the boat arrived to save her."
A passenger yesterday told The Sun Online: "She didn't fall off, she jumped off. She took all her kit off and jumped off the side of the ship.
"This is what the crew told us when we were on the ship before disembarking. You can kind of tell by the pictures that she wasn't wearing much when she was rescued."
After her rescue, Kay had told Croatian media: "I fell off the back of the Norwegian Star and I was in the water for about 10 hours. These wonderful guys rescued me."
But multiple passengers came forward to reveal she had been arguing with her partner earlier that evening.
One said she had been drinking and had been "having rows" with her partner "all day".
He added: "When the police came on to the ship - before letting us get off - they were going around asking after which staff members were serving us alcohol. I think they wanted to know who'd been serving her.
"Her (partner) was looking for her for hours before the alarm was raised that she'd gone overboard."
A second person said Kay and her partner "were arguing", adding: "This is what (the) concierge told us willingly."
A third added: "My wife and I had a cabin just above hers at the back. When the incident was reported by the Captain at 0600, he said that an area in the middle of deck 7 had been sealed off.
"When getting off the boat, seven hours late, a number of passengers were saying there had been a midnight dispute amongst the Longstaff party."
Meanwhile, a rescuer has revealed how Kay told them how she survived 10 hours in the sea.
They said: "She said the fact that she practices yoga helped her as she was fit. And she said she was singing to not feel cold in the sea overnight."
Photos show the Norwegian Cruise ship has safety railings designed to prevent people from falling overboard which are around four feet high.
If you need someone to talk to the Samaritans are free to call on 116 123, or call CALM on 0800 58 58 58.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.