Tragic supermodel sets up tsunami orphan charity

Czech beauty Petra Nemcova, whose British boyfriend was swept to his death in the Asian tsunami, has set up a charity to help children orphaned by the disaster.

The supermodel recently returned to Thailand and visited the hotel where she and fiance Simon Atlee had stayed, hoping to put the past behind her.

She barely recognised the resort and said it looked like a cemetery.

As well as meeting the doctors who saved her life she toured orphanages, visiting victims of the tragedy.

“One of the hardest experiences was the blank look in the eyes of the children,” she told the New York Daily News.

“It was a look of confusion and fear and helplessness. I want to try to help them to overcome that, to give them stability and support.”

She is hoping her Happy Hearts Fund will help more than 1,200 children.

The fund works in conjunction with the Give2Asia Foundation and local charities to rebuild schools and dormitories, and with local universities which provide emotional and psychological support.

Nemcova and photographer Atlee, 33, were staying at the Thai resort of Khao Lak when the deadly wall of water hit on December 26.

She suffered a shattered pelvis and almost died after clinging to a palm tree for eight hours. Intensive physiotherapy has since helped her regain the use of her legs.

The model celebrated her 26th birthday in New York last night.