Zoe Coles, 36, has shared her baffling experience of waking up with a Welsh accent, despite never having visited Wales. Her new accent developed overnight six weeks ago, and she initially thought it would eventually fade away.
However, to her surprise, the accent has persisted, leading to confusion and mistaken assumptions about her origin. While Zoe resides in Stamford, Lincolnshire, she is often asked if she is from Cardiff.
Zoe, a mother of two, has never been able to imitate a Welsh accent or roll her R’s until now. She admits feeling anxious when leaving her house because she no longer feels like she fits in with her local community due to her new voice. She even expressed her desire for medical help to find a solution for her perplexing condition.
In her own words, Zoe said:”I’ll be about to go into the shops and I get anxious because I don’t fit in around here anymore – we’re not in Wales.
“I got stopped in Tesco a couple of weeks ago and a man told me he could fall asleep listening to my accent. I had to tell him that I woke up with it and it wasn’t my accent and he laughed it off.
READ MORE: Woman ‘short on money’ lives on £10 a week at Aldi as her ‘rent’s gone up'[LATEST]
“Because they’ve never heard of this, they stare. I’ve never been to Wales, I’ve never able to roll my R’s, I’ve never been able to put on an accent and it’s crazy.
“People ask me where I’m from and they start guessing Cardiff or Bristol and I’m not from anywhere – I’m from Lincolnshire.”
Zoe worked as a bartender at a Wetherspoons pub before her accent changed. However, due to her new accent, she felt compelled to quit her job.
She anticipated that regular customers would think she was joking or playing a prank on them. Moreover, she worried about potential confrontations when people became intoxicated.
Zoe believes her condition may be Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS), a rare condition where individuals develop speech patterns that are perceived as a foreign accent.
Don’t miss…
Common sweetener a ‘possible’ cause of cancer, says World Health Organisation[INSIGHT]
Women realise why there’s a little pocket in knickers – it’s to do with hygiene[EXPLAINER]
Family ‘torn apart’ after girl dies suddenly from deadly flu[REPORT]
She suspects she may be one of the fewer than 107 people worldwide who have experienced FAS since 1907. However, she has struggled to find information about the condition and has not received much help from her doctor or neurologist.
Zoe, who is engaged to fiancé Lee, 39, said: “I’ve been trying to ask my doctor for more information but they just don’t have any.
“I shouldn’t have to Google the condition for information about it – I should be told by my GP or a neurologist. Something is clearly going on in my brain.
“I was meant to have a MRI scan but I was absolutely terrified and had a massive panic attack before it. But my GP won’t re-book me one because they’ve said I don’t need one as I’ve been diagnosed with FND. So they haven’t even tested what’s going on in my brain.”
Zoe was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) in January 2022, a condition that affects the brain’s ability to send and receive signals. She experiences various symptoms, including ticks, memory problems, slurred speech, and chronic leg pain. Despite this diagnosis, she believes that her accent change may be related to FAS and wishes to undergo further testing to understand what is happening in her brain.
Zoe’s referral to a specialist at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London was declined due to her not living in the catchment area. She feels frustrated by the lack of concern shown towards her situation and is appealing for an expert or neurologist to come forward and provide answers.
She said: “Why is nobody concerned that I’ve woken up with a Welsh accent? Surely someone should be concerned – this is not normal.
“A lot of people think it could me a mental health problem but because nobody knows anything about it, people are just guessing. I want a definite answer – I can’t be the only person that would come forward for testing.”
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up http://Express.co.uk ’s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected].
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Zoe’s referral to a specialist at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London was declined due to her not living in the catchment area. She feels frustrated by the lack of concern shown towards her situation and is appealing for an expert or neurologist to come forward and provide answers.
She said: “Why is nobody concerned that I’ve woken up with a Welsh accent? Surely someone should be concerned – this is not normal.
“A lot of people think it could me a mental health problem but because nobody knows anything about it, people are just guessing. I want a definite answer – I can’t be the only person that would come forward for testing.”
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up http://Express.co.uk ’s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected].
Source: Read Full Article