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SARASOTA, Fla. -- A Sarasota County woman says she felt like she was "losing her mind" when she suffered a stroke and wound up with a British accent.
Judi Roberts was doing a crossword puzzle four years ago when her right hand went numb. She suffered a stroke, which left her paralyzed on her right side and unable to talk. But when her speech finally returned, her deep northern accent was gone.
Roberts now speaks with a higher-pitched British accent. A University of Central Florida expert says Roberts has an extremely rare disorder called "foreign-accent syndrome." Few than 20 cases have been reported worldwide since 1919.
UCF professor Jack Ryalls is an expert on speech and language disorders. He has conducted a series of tests on Roberts and says the syndrome is the only explanation.
Roberts say she has been accused of faking the accent. She became a recluse and even contemplated moving to England until she read about the disorder last spring and contacted experts.
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