Stroke victim who lost speech for three months now speaks Italian

Althia Bryden, 58, a stroke victim who started speaking with an Italian accent after initially losing her speech for three months (Image: PA REAL LIFE)

Althia Bryden, 58, feels as though an imposter has taken over her speech after suffering a stroke that left her speaking with an Italian accent despite never having learnt the language. The former customer service advisor from Highbury, London, experienced a stroke on May 4 2024 which rendered her speechless and unable to feel the right side of her upper body for three months.

Doctors discovered a carotid web was to blame for her condition, and following surgery in August 2024 to remove the blockage, Althia astonishingly regained her ability to talk but with the curious twist of a foreign intonation. Her conversations are now peppered with Italian words and phrases such as "mamma mia", "bambino", and "si", much to her own surprise.

A speech therapist hinted she might be experiencing foreign accent syndrome, a rare neurological condition usually associated with brain injury, that makes sufferers speak in what sounds like a foreign accent, the NHS notes. As Althia awaits an official diagnosis, she grapples with the strange feeling of losing her identity and yearns for her original voice each morning she wakes.

Althia, a mother and grandmother, opened up to PA Real Life about her harrowing experience: "Even my laugh is not the same... I’m not me, it’s like someone is impersonating me."

"I feel like a clown with an upside-down smile that people are watching perform."

"They are laughing, but I still have an upside-down smile."

"It’s very sad – everything is different, even my body language is different."

"People aren’t meeting the original me, I don’t know who I am."

On a fateful day, May 4 2024, Winston discovered Althia unresponsive in bed, her face drooping on one side, indicating she had suffered a stroke. She recalls no warning signs before the incident.

Althia has said it feels like someone is "impersonating" her (Image: PA REAL LIFE)

Winston's quick thinking led him to call an ambulance immediately. At the hospital, Althia's situation worsened; she lost her ability to speak and felt no sensation on the upper right side of her body.

She recounted being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition defined by the NHS as having trouble with language or speech. "The only thing I could do was point," Althia said.

"Doctors gave me a notepad, then I realised I couldn’t write because I’m right-handed and if someone wrote something down, I could not read it."

"My brain couldn’t understand it – it was very frightening for me and I felt afraid and confused."

"I felt like a shell of the person I once was."

"I was so alone and isolated, and I remember feeling just totally lost."

After a nine-day stay, she was discharged from the hospital on May 13 2024.

Althia, who suffered a stroke, revealed that doctors discovered it was caused by a carotid web – a rare structure in the neck that can disrupt blood flow to the brain. She underwent surgery on August 1, 2024, to remove the carotid web after being readmitted to the hospital on July 30, 2024.

Due to her "very erratic" blood pressure, she spent two days in intensive care. Althia recalled a surprising moment when a nurse woke her up to check her blood pressure and she responded verbally: "Completely out of the blue, I just started speaking," she said.

Althia, with her husband and full-time carer, Winston (Image: Copyright remains with handout provider)

"She looked as shocked as I did! " "I remember thinking, ‘Who is that talking? ’" "Firstly, I couldn’t believe it was me talking, but I also didn’t recognise the sound of my voice."

"The nurse rushed to get colleagues round to my bed. No one could believe I was talking after so long."

"But the more I spoke, the more confused we all became."

"They asked me if I had an Italian accent before my stroke and were telling me I had a strong accent. In the whirlwind of it all, I was so confused."

As time passed, she noticed her Italian accent persisted and felt like she had "no control" over the sounds she was making. A speech and language therapist suggested she might have foreign accent syndrome, typically resulting from brain damage such as a stroke, according to the NHS.

She is currently awaiting a formal diagnosis.

She exclaimed: "Doctors and nurses saw me as a bit of a medical marvel – none of the nurses, doctors, therapists or surgeons had dealt with foreign accent syndrome in their whole careers! " "This is when I realised just how rare this condition is. I wish more people knew about it."

"Before, I didn’t sound like the Queen, but I sounded British! " "I’ve always lived in London, but all my family are from Jamaica."

When Winston came to see Althia, he was "couldn’t believe it" and found himself "speechless". One of her sons found the situation funny, to the point where he had to leave the room to regain his composure.

Althia even hears the accent in her thoughts and occasionally speaks Italian phrases subconsciously, despite having no prior knowledge of the language nor having visited Italy. When she uses an unfamiliar word, both she and her husband rush to find out its meaning.

She shared her confusion: "I have no idea I’m about to do it – my brain just converts the English word into Italian."

"It always takes me and Winston by complete surprise... I’ll randomly say things like ‘mamma mia’ or ‘bambino’."

"The first time I did it, I was talking to my brother-in-law, and I said ‘si’ as he was talking."

"It’s such a strange feeling. I’m so surprised when it happens; my eyes widen in shock."

Despite her fascination with her condition, Althia asserts that she feels "lucky to be alive" following her stroke, yet each morning she holds onto the hope that her original accent will have returned.

Althia, who is wrestling with the effects of a stroke, described her day-to-day challenges and the emotional toll it has taken on her. "I’m still looking for the person I was before," she disclosed, expressing how disorienting her experience has been.

Her battle to recover her original accent persists as professionals cannot guarantee its return. "Where do I go to find the button to switch this stuff off? " Althia reveals her feelings of loss and yearning for her old self.

She's also grateful for the Stroke Association’s support, which includes home visits and attending support groups. "They’re a listening ear for me – when I want to find out about hospital appointments, they will chase this for me and have been very supportive," said Althia, appreciating their ongoing assistance.

Althia said she no longer knows who she is (Image: PA REAL LIFE)

She spoke of an empowering realisation, "I found this to be very good as well... it made me realise having foreign accent syndrome is part of my story, and I shouldn’t be ashamed."

Despite the support, Althia often feels isolated due to the rarity of her condition, yearning for a kindred spirit. "I want to meet someone with it, and be able to relate to someone and have that connection."

she confessed.

Juliet Bouverie OBE, Chief Executive of the Stroke Association, underscored the prevalence and impact of strokes: "Every day in the UK over 240 people wake up to the catastrophic impact of a stroke, which can leave survivors unable to move, see, speak, or even swallow."

"It’s a traumatic, life-changing event that robs survivors and their families of the life they knew."

"Recovery for a stroke survivor is a hard slog of gruelling and repetitive therapy."

"But with strength, determination and the right support, recovery is possible."

"We support stroke survivors and their families to find the strength they need to find their way back to life."

For more information about communication problems after stroke and how to find support, visit www.stroke.org.uk or contact the Stroke Support Helpline on 0303 3033 100.