Shark attack victim, 17, who lost leg and several fingers leaves hospital one month on

A brave teenager who lost a leg and several fingers in a gruesome shark attack has left hospital one month on.

Paige Winter, 17, had life-saving surgery and had her leg amputated after the predator struck.

Her dad, a firefighter and paramedic, hit the shark with a five-punch combination , causing the animal to flee at Fort Macon State Park in North Carolina, US.

But Paige smiled as she walked out of hospital with the help of a prosthetic leg and walking frame.

The youngster beamed as she was greeted by friends and family at the restaurant where she used to work.

"I'm not going to say that it was worth it, but I am going to say that I am beyond happy and this is like almost surreal to be here with everybody again," she told WTDV.

Paige Winter leaves hospital after the shark attack (City of Havelock Fire - Rescue Department)

Paige is pictured with friends at the restaurant at which she used to work (City of Havelock Fire - Rescue Department)

"It fuels me, you know? It makes me more positive and upbeat and it moves me forward in my healing."

The bite left "deep lacerations to her leg, pelvic and hand areas".

Yet Paige, of Greenville, North Carolina, insists "sharks are still good".

Recalling her ordeal, the teen said: "I'm like, 'Is this, like, a snapping turtle? Like, what's happening?

The youngster smiles as she walks out of the hospital (City of Havelock Fire - Rescue Department)

"Then it just starts. Like a dog when they get a rope and you grab the other rope and they just start going with their whole body.

"I remember giving up for a second, and then I just start like laying.

"And then I was like: 'No wait a minute, I can't do that. Like, that's not an option.

"My body was in shock. So I couldn't feel anything, I just knew it was bad."

The teenager had life-saving surgery and had her leg amputated (City of Havelock Fire - Rescue Department)

But speaking at a press conference recently, dad Charlie described how he repeatedly punched the animal on the nose.

The courageous firefighter said: "Paige was underwater and there was pink on the water. I saw pink and it was moving.

"I grabbed her with my left arm and pulled her up over the water and when I pulled her up a shark came up with her and it was a big shark.

"I immediately just started to hit it. I've read five times, but it could have been ten or three, I don't know, I wasn't keeping track but I know I was hitting it and I hit it with everything I could and it let go.

"As we were running back to the shore, Paige was quiet, calm and she only said the word 'dad'.

"I could see the damage and I knew it was bad and I started to worry a little bit. I listened to every word she said, every movement of her lips, every way the wind blew her hair. I just took it all in."