British woman is taken in by a kindhearted Australian mum after being attacked by her abusive boyfriend on a cruise ship – leading her to move Down Under permanently

A chance meeting on a cruise led a British woman to take her life and travel the world, all because an Australian mother helped her escape an allegedly abusive partner.

Stacy Jane was traveling on a cruise in New Zealand with her ex-partner in 2019 when she came across the woman she now affectionately calls “Maussie”: her Australian mother.

The pair bonded immediately.

“My life changed when I met Maussie and her family,” Stacy Jane told Channel Nine’s A current issue on Monday evening.

She claimed she was in an abusive relationship at the time and told the program she was attacked on the last night of the cruise.

“I went back to the cabin, and he opened the door, reached over and dragged me in,” Stacy Jane recalled.

She fled the room and screamed for help. Without access to her phone or passport, she didn’t know what to do.

Maussie said her family was immediately notified of what happened and they searched for Stacy Jane with security.

“She was bruised, battered, disheveled, evening dress torn, an absolute mess, shaking with shock and fear,” Maussie explained.

‘Stacy had another week in Sydney… we all said ‘we’ll take you home’.’

The first words Maussie said to Stacy Jane were that this moment would be the beginning of her “new life.”

Maussie said her first instinct was to protect Stacy Jane because she was a mother.

Stacy Jane spent a week with the loving Australian family before returning to Britain and living in a retreat, where she continued to keep in touch with her new friends Down Under.

“I said, ‘honey, come home’… I could hear the sadness and upset,” Maussie said.

Stacy Jane made the permanent move to Australia with the help of the people she now calls family.

Five years later, Stacy Jane (left) considers ‘Maussie’ (right) her Australian mother

She soon discovered that sewing helped her distract her thoughts and turned to making tote bags, which helped her mental health.

These tote bags are now helping other victims of domestic violence escape abusive homes.

Today, Stacy Jane runs a company called Escabags, which is stocked with essentials like a SIM card, wet wipes and toiletries.

The free bags can be found in 1,600 locations across the country, including police stations, health and community centers and private businesses.

Some are also available in coffee shops and pubs.

Stacy Jane said none of this would happen without the help of Maussie and her family.

“They took a chance on me and the ripple effect of that was incredible,” she said.

For confidential support 24/7, please contact 1800 RESPECT.

British expat Stacy Jane (pictured) claimed she was abused by her then partner while on cruise before an Australian stranger came to her rescue