A woman is being hailed a hero after saving a family from drowning - while topless.
Jessica Layton, 28, from Penzance, Cornwall, was sunbathing on naturist beach near Porthcurno on Tuesday when the drama happened.
She told Cornwall Live : “It was just after 3pm and the tide was coming in. I decided to go for a final dip before going home."
"I was topless in the sea when I saw two young women struggling to swim near rocks.
"Another member of the family ran in to help them and she started struggling too.
"I swam towards them and thought ‘oh s**t’ as I realised how strong the rip current was.
"I was struggling myself and they were panicking, which wasn’t ideal in a situation like that."
The incident involved two sisters and a cousin.
“I was going to tell them to float, which is the best thing you can do in a rip current, but they were panicking so much it wouldn’t have worked.
"They were all holding hands, so I grabbed one of their hands and pulled them all on to the beach.”
Jessica – who is a performer with Cornwall’s popular Rogue Theatre – added: “One of the women said ‘aren’t you strong?’ afterwards – I’m not sure where the strength came from.”
The actor and singer is a regular on the nudist beach and says people watching her rescue may have seen a lot more.
"Fortunately, I’d just put my bikini bottoms on before it happened. It’s a classic – of course I was going to be topless when something like this happens!"
She said the family were really grateful for her heroic actions and asked if she was a lifeguard.
Pedn Vounder doesn't have lifeguard cover and is renowned among locals for being dangerous due to rip currents caused by the incoming tide.
"It’s lucky I was there – it’s really weird thinking it happened, I can’t quite grasp it," she added.
Jessica’s friends have hailed her a hero online, and summed it up: “not all heroes wear capes, some of them don’t even wear bikini tops”.
One posted on Facebook : "Local hero saves family from certain death with her norks out!"
Others called her 'amazing' and a 'legend'.
