Heidi Klum shares details from Hawaii riptide rescue on ‘Ellen’

Heidi Klum’s rescue of her son and two nannies from a riptide in Hawaii two weeks ago continues to get attention, with Klum herself shedding new light on the event on Friday with Ellen DeGeneres.

Turns out the nannies were actually in more danger than her 7-year-old son, Henry, was, thanks to swimming lessons he and the rest of the Klum clan got starting when they were 2 years old.

“Henry was not as much in trouble as the grown-ups were, to be honest, because he’s a really good swimmer and he’s very strong, and I guess because he’s really athletic and he knows how to swim so well,” the supermodel and “America’s Got Talent” judge said.

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Henry also, after the fact, quoted the words of his swimming teacher. “ ‘Well, [he] always told me when you’re in the water you have to be really calm and you can’t stress out, and that’s what i did,’ ” Mom repeated, mimicking a proud 7-year-old boy, “and it took like four seconds for him to get out.”

Regarding the much-publicized photos taken of her during the rescue, Klum said she had no idea anyone was there shooting the scene. She was there with her mother and father, who, like her, had been playing in the sand with the other kids, and said he too helped in the water. Photos showed boyfriend-bodyguard Martin Kristen getting in on the action, but Klum did not mention him to Ellen.

And while Henry might have gotten out easily, the rescue overall was no piece of cake.

“I had a hard time to get a grown-up out of the water, especially when they’ve been swimming for a while, like one of my nannies was in the water,” Klum said. “It was hard to get her out.”

Klum noted that it was a good cautionary tale in advance of the summer swimming season.

“You have to always keep an eye on them, and have to keep an eye on if the weather changes and if maybe the waves are getting higher.

“I mean, it was like that,” she said, snapping her fingers.

Watch the interview, below.

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