Stamford woman Zoe Coles gets her English accent back a year after developing Welsh accent

A Stamford woman who woke up with Welsh accent despite never visiting the country has got her old accent back - a year later.

Zoe Coles, 36, developed the new accent overnight in June 2023, but thought it would eventually wear off.

But it didn't and she was diagnosed with foreign accent syndrome.

The Welsh accent stayed for more than a year until Zoe woke up four days ago, on July 2, with her old voice back.

Zoe said she is "disorientated" and doesn't know if her English accent - which Zoe describes as "Kentish" - will stay or her Welsh accent will come back.

Zoe, a former bartender who worked in Bourne and lives in Stamford, said: "It has been four days. I am not sure what is going to happen going forward.

"[I don't know] if it's going to stay as the English accent or whether the Welsh is going to come back.

"I feel the best word to describe how I am feeling is disorientated. I really don't know what to think of it.

"Watching videos of me speak in this new accent is really difficult, and now it is difficult to watch myself with a Welsh accent.

"It is really very strange for me.

"I thought with it being a year since my accent changed the Welsh accent would be permanent.

"Who knows what is going to happen."

Zoe 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.

This is thought to be behind the later change in her accent.

Because of this, Zoe often has ticks, memory problems, slurred speech and pain in her legs.

Speaking previously, before her accent returned, she said: "I

"Now I have to be assisted in the shower in case my legs go on me, I can't do the house work in two hours it is more like two days.

"I get so tired so quickly, I can do the shopping because I can hold the trolley but I can't do much more.

"It completely wipes me out."

She said: "I want to raise awareness and show that this is real life.

"I am speaking out because I want people to see that these things really do happen.

"This is a reality for me as much as I don't like it, I love the accent and I have adapted to it.

"However it still causes problems for me, I still get head pains and tingling in the face.

"It isn't just the accent, it is so hard for me."