Scottish woman speaks with Italian accent following stroke

A Glaswegian grandmother has started speaking with an Italian accent after suffering a stroke, despite never having visited the country. When Debbie McCann, 48, had a minor stroke in November last year, she was left with a voice she didn't recognise.

She has since been diagnosed with Foreign Accent Syndrome, an extremely rare medical condition where a person starts speaking in a different accent due to a brain injury, stroke or migraine. Just 60 people on the planet are affected by the condition when has left Debbie sounding more Botticelli than Braveheart



Mrs McCann said: "I've lived in Glasgow all my life and had a strong Glaswegian accent before the stroke. For the first two weeks, I couldn't speak at all and it was very frustrating. When my voice came back, I sounded Chinese. I couldn't believe it.

"Now, people say I sound more like I'm from Italy, yet I've never been to either of those countries." Around 60 people worldwide have been affected Foreign Accent Syndrome since it was first identified in the 1940s when a Norwegian woman was hit by shrapnel and started speaking with a strong German accent.