Heidi Klum says raw maternal instinct led her into a life-threatening rip current to save her 7-year-old son.
"I did what any mother would do," the supermodel told People magazine in an interview published Wednesday.
Newly released photos of the harrowing Hawaiian incident show the "Project Runway" star pulling her young son Henry to safety through churning, waist-deep
waters and then straining to drag one of his nannies out by the armpits.
The photos show a very different side.
She's seen rushing into the choppy surf headfirst, struggling to keep a grip on her son's wrist, falling down as she hauls one disoriented nanny out of the terrifying tide and slipping out of her bikini top amid the chaos.
Her bodyguard beau Martin Kirsten appears hunched over on all fours in one photo, apparently trying to catch his breath after the scary but successful rescue effort.
"Henry swam out of it. I grabbed him at the shore. The nannies were the ones in much deeper trouble," Klum told People.
"Never underestimate the power of the ocean," Klum warned.
The blond beauty was celebrating Easter on Oahu with her kids - including Leni, 8, Johan, 6, and Lou, 3 - when the powerful undertow caught Henry by surprise.
Henry is her eldest son with ex-husband Seal.
She lamented the fact that a witness took photos instead of lending a hand.
"The family was surprised that we were being photographed and no one would come help us," she told People.
Klum and her family returned safely to Los Angeles Monday, and she quickly tried to play down her obvious heroics in the People interview.
"These photos taken recently look much worse that it really was that day," she said.
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