Couple gets married 5 days after crocodile bites off bride's arm

The couple said the wedding was "the best day of our lives."

Couple gets married 5 days after crocodile bites off bride's arm
AP Photo
May 10, 2018, 12:47 PM

An incredibly brave woman refused to let a crocodile attack that cost her an arm get in the way of marrying the love of her life.

In this photo taken, May, 5, 2018, Zenele Ndlovu walks down the aisle on her wedding day at a hospital Chapel in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
AP Photo

Zimbabwe resident Zanele Ndlovu, 25, was attacked by a crocodile while canoeing the Zambezi, Africa's fourth-longest river, with her then-fiancé Jamie Fox on April 30.

"I was just pushing and kicking and trying to fight the croc as much I could, and eventually one of the tour guides managed to pull me out of the water and get me onto one of their canoes," Ndlovu told Reuters.

Doctors were forced to amputate her right arm just above the elbow, and she sustained injuries to her left hand as well. The couple, who were days away from getting married, did not let the trauma delay their special day, and decided to get married as planned.

In this photo taken on Saturday, May, 5, 2018, Zenele Ndlovu, and Jamie Fox hold hands on their wedding day at a hospital Chapel in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
AP Photo

They held the wedding ceremony five days later at the chapel of The Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, where Ndlovu is recovering. Friends and relatives attended the ceremony and a reception at a private venue, while the newlyweds stayed at the hospital.

In spite of the traumatic attack, Ndlovu and Fox were thrilled to get married.

"It was quite nice to have an intimate wedding day together. We were able to just relax together. The whole day was amazing. I think I speak for both of us when I say it was the best day of our lives," Fox told Reuters.

The couple met two years ago when Fox came to Zimbabwe for a six-month volunteer program. They plan to settle in Britain.