A woman in Australia has undergone emergency surgery after she was attacked by a kangaroo while out jogging.

Debbie Urquhart, a personal trainer and former bodybuilding champion from Melbourne, was set upon by a two-metre tall male kangaroo at around 6am on Saturday.

The kangaroo repeatedly kicked her on the side of her body, ripped her clothes and “threw [her] around like a rag doll”, Ms Urquhart told the Manningham Leader.

The personal trainer played dead in an effort to bring an end to the attack, and managed to escape soon after the kangaroo ran away.

“He ripped me to pieces. He just kept on kicking into me and I was trying to crawl away. He left me for a bit and I thought he was going to come back and kill me," said Mrs Urquhart.

The 54-year-old narrowly avoided plastic surgery and had to have dozens of stitches on her right upper arm, her right shoulder and on her buttocks, as well as suffering several other wounds.

“Every time I close my eyes it’s pretty vivid, it’s horrible. If he had got to my stomach, I could have been killed,” she added.

Ms Urguhart has since been released from hospital and was able to walk again by Sunday afternoon.

Man punches kangaroo in the face to save pet dog

It is thought the kangaroo is likely to have been rejected by its mob and to have been acting in self defence.