Why this woman woke up with a Welsh accent

By Izzy Hawksworth via SWNS

An English woman has told how she woke up with a Welsh accent - despite never visiting the country.

Zoe Coles, 36, developed the new accent overnight six weeks ago but thought it would eventually wear off.

But it hasn't - and the mum-of-two is often asked if she's from Cardiff - when she actually lives in Stamford, Lincs.

Zoe has also said that she's never been able to do a Welsh accent or roll her R's - until now.

She was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a condition where there is a problem with how the brain sends and receives signals in January 2022.

Zoe often has ticks, memory problems, slurred speech and chronic pain in her legs because of the condition.

But Zoe now thinks she has Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) - a rare condition where people develop speech patterns that are perceived as a foreign accent.

She now gets 'anxious' when leaving the house as she feels like she 'doesn't fit in any more' because of her new voice and is appealing for medical help to try and 'cure' her baffling condition.

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.

"Because they've never heard of this, they stare.

"I've never been to Wales, I've never been 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."

Before her voice, changed, Zoe worked as a bartender at a Wetherspoons pub but because of her accent, she's had to quit her job.

Zoe, who is mum to Zak, 16, and Brooke, 11, said: "I didn't want to go in with my new accent because the regulars would be saying I'm having them on.

"And when people would get drunk, I knew I would be a target.

"I tried to drive to work one day and I just had a massive anxiety attack and I just couldn't go in.

"I thought it was best to leave and then I can always go back when I'm ready."

Fewer than 107 people in the world are believed to have had FAS since 1907 and Zoe has been struggling to find any information on the condition.

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 an 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 went to the doctors about her new accent and was referred to a specialist at the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London.

But because she doesn't live in the catchment area, her referral has been declined and she's not been given any help by the NHS.

Now she is appealing for an expert or neurologist to come forward and help her find an answer, as she feels like 'nobody is concerned' about what has happened.

Zoe 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."