A heroic mum who drowned while trying to help a young swimmer as her horrified son watched on was named locally today.She is believed to be mother-of-three Leanne Gordon Johnson, a 30-year-old personal trainer.She drowned in front of her eldest son in the River Great Ouse while trying to help a friend’s child who was in struggling.Personal trainer Leanne visited the river with sons Lorenza, nine, Lascelle, five and Evan, three, along with friends and their children as temperatures hit more than 20C.
Her former partner Antonino Marsala, father of Lorenza, said the youngster had been left shocked by the incident at the River Great Ouse at Queens Park, Bedford. Antonino, 44, who split with Leanna seven years ago, said: “My nine-year-old son is full of cuts and scratches from going through the bushes to get help.
Mr Marsala said that Leanne could swim, but that she suffered from panic attacks which may have prevented her from saving herself.A close neighbour said: “She seemed like a nice lady. She had three young kids and I’d always see her out with them.”Its such a tragedy what happened. I can’t believe it.”Today Bedfordshire police confirmed that the body of a woman had been recovered from the river.