A British woman who was rescued after spending 10 hours in the sea had a ‘massive row with her partner’ before she fell from the cruise ship.
Kay Longstaff, 46, who lives in Benalmádena on Spain’s Costa del Sol, said she felt ‘lucky to be alive’ after plunging from the seventh deck of the Norwegian Star ship 60 miles off the Croatian coast on Saturday.
Fellow passenger told the Sun that Ms Longstaff had several arguments with her partner earlier that evening and that police was investigating how much she had been drinking.
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One said: ‘A number of passengers were saying there had been a midnight dispute among the Longstaff party.’
Another one added: ‘When the police came on the ship – before letting us off – they were going around asking after which staff members were serving us alcohol. They wanted to know who’d been serving her.’
The passenger said her partner had been looking for her for hours before the alarm was raised.
A third person from the cruise ship said the concierge had told them she had been arguing with her partner.
A business person from Derbyshire who was on board told Daily Mail: ‘Apparently she had been drinking.’
It’s not clear how she ended up in the water but it is believed it happened around 60 miles south of Pula shortly before midnight on Sunday.
Photos of the cruise ship shows it has safety railings to prevent people from falling overboard.
CCTV footage allowed rescuers to know the exact time Ms Longstaff landed in the 20C Adriatic sea.
Ms Longstaff told Croatian news channel HRT: ‘I fell of the back of the Norwegian Star and I was in the water for 10 hours, so these wonderful guys rescued me.
‘I am very lucky to be alive, I was sitting at the back of the deck.’
An unnamed rescuer told The Sun: ‘She said the fact that she practises yoga helped her as she was fit. And she said she was singing to not feel cold in the sea overnight.’
The ship was headed to Venice in Italy.
Lovro Oreskovic, captain of the Cavtat rescue ship, said they were ‘extremely happy for saving a human life’.
Norwegian Cruise Line said the ship had been delayed amid the search and rescue operation.
The spokeswoman said: ‘We are very happy that the individual, who is a UK resident, is now safe and will soon be reunited with friends and family.’
Friends of the former Virgin Atlantic hostess, who now works on private planes, took to Facebook to offer support.
One pal said: ‘So pleased you’re OK and your strength got you through that horrid ordeal. Bless you… so please you are OK darling.’
Another one said: ‘OMG Kay! So glad you’re OK, I couldn’t believe my eyes.’
She was found about a mile from where she fell around midday local time yesterday.
Officials in Pula say she is still in hospital on Monday, a spokesperson said: ‘We can’t reveal yet when the patient will be released. It might be even today, but it will depend on doctor’s visit during the morning.’
David Radas, from the Croatian ministry of maritime affairs, told the Daily Telegraph that Ms Longstaff was ‘not injured, just exhausted, hypothermic and in shock’.
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