- An English Woman Has Appealed For Medical Help Professionals To Kindly Explain What Has Happened To Her After Suddenly Waking Up With A Welsh Accent Despite Not Being Welsh
Zoe Coles, a woman from Lincolnshire, woke up six weeks ago to an unexpected revelation that she had acquired a Welsh accent without ever visiting the country. Initially, she enjoyed the novelty of the new accent, but she has since realized that it requires further investigation and has cried out for help.
She said, "At first, it was more like a strong German accent, but now I believe it's a Welsh accent... It won't go away, I think it's stuck.”
Earlier in 2022, Zoe was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), but she now believes that she might have Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS), a rare condition where damage to the brain makes someone speak differently. Because she has never even been to Wales, it’s understandable that she needs answers.
According to Zoe, she was forced to stop her job in a pub because of the accent change.
"I stayed away from work when I woke up six weeks ago with this accent," She added.
In several videos shared on her TikTok account, Zoe reveals how she deals with the ailment, which leaves her in chronic pain and even causes her to lose the ability to talk and walk sometimes.
However, this latest effect has left her even more frustrated, she expressed her frustrations in one video, saying: "I've just got this accent, and it won't go away, I think it's stuck. I hoped it would just be for a while, and I would get over it soon."
In an interview with BBC News, She said that several people have asked her where she is from due to the tone of her accent, and she often explains to them what happened.
"A lot of people ask me, 'Where are you from? Are you from Cardiff?' I feel like I have to explain to them what's happened."
"It's not just about that, the ailment; it's really rare, so many people don't believe it's a thing."
Ms. Coles added she is more than willing to be a 'guinea pig' just to get to the bottom of what's causing her changing accent.
"There are several patients suffering from FND, but this accent syndrome seems like something has gone wrong in my brain, like something's just not right, because who on earth wakes up speaking with a foreign accent?"
She said, "I would like to work with somebody that can help me, and then we can help others. I want to help everyone who has this cause. I'm not the only person, but let's start with me. I'll be a guinea pig."
A spokesperson at St George's said that a specialist neurology team has replied to Ms. Coles' referring doctor, and we await their response on the future of her care.