In an exclusive interview with ITV News health correspondent Rebecca Barry, Sarah Thompson’s sister Gabriella spoke of their family’s heartbreak.

The family of a mother-of-two have told ITV News they believe her sudden death could be linked to illegal ‘weight cuts’.

Sarah Thompson, from Connah’s Quay in Wales, was found dead in her home by her teenage daughter in September this year.

The 34-year-old had struggled with her weight after recovering from throat cancer.

Diagnosed in 2018, Sarah’s voice box was removed and she had to breathe through a tube in her neck. As a result, it became difficult to exercise.

“She became very depressed about the way she looked,” Sarah’s sister Gabriella told ITV News in an exclusive interview.

After failing to meet the NHS eligibility criteria for approved weight loss drugs, Sarah looked elsewhere and found weight loss drops labeled ‘fat burning serum’.

She bought the drops over the summer and quickly lost more than four stone.

“She had a lot more confidence in herself, she felt like she could take on the world,” Gabriella said.

Sarah even gave her sister a bottle of weight loss drops, but they quickly gave her heart palpitations and tremors, so she stopped taking them.

After 5 weeks of taking the drops, Sarah also became ill, vomiting repeatedly and unable to keep food or fluids down.

A few days later, Sarah was found dead in her bed by her 16-year-old daughter.

“I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone,” Gabriella told ITV News.

“My sister was young, she was 34 years old. She had her whole life ahead of her, she had so many things planned. She had ambitions, but she will not achieve them.

“No family should feel the pain we feel.”

The weight loss drops Sarah was taking should not be confused with approved weight loss medications available on the NHS.

ITV News arranged for one of the bottles from Sarah’s house to be tested in a laboratory.

The results show the vial contained Clenbuterol, a Class C controlled medicine not approved for human use in the UK.

The maximum sentence for supplying drugs is 14 years in prison.

ITV News has discovered that drugs containing Clenbuterol are being sold online under different brands and flavors, claiming to help with weight loss.

Dr Simon Dryden, head of biosciences at the School of Human Sciences at London Metropolitan University, told ITV News that clenbuterol causes a range of serious side effects which can be fatal, including shortness of breath, changes heart rate and dizziness.

He said: “It causes shortness of breath, your heartbeat could be interrupted. All sorts of other problems – dizziness – if you have high blood pressure or any other heart problem, of course that can cause a heart attack.

Sarah’s family are adamant she would not have taken the weight loss drops if she had known the risks involved.

Gabriella says her family is still waiting for the cause of her sister’s death, but thinks the drops are to blame

Gabriella said: “Even if she wanted to be slim, I don’t think she would have taken them if she knew exactly what was in them, and there was a risk she would never see her children again. I know she wouldn’t have done it.

Sarah’s death only occurred in September and her family are still waiting for test results to confirm the official cause – but they believe the drops were the cause.

“I will never see my sister again because of this. Her children will grow up without their mother. No family should feel the pain we feel.

Sarah’s family chose to share her story with ITV News to warn others of the risks of unregulated weight loss drugs.

North Wales Police told ITV News they were present at the time of the report and had submitted all necessary documents to the coroner.

A government spokesperson said: “Every death from drug misuse is a tragedy for those who lost their lives. Our thoughts are with their friends and families.

“Through our mission-driven government, we will take preventative public health measures to address the biggest causes of death in society – including drug abuse – and better help people live longer, healthier lives. better health. »

Follow STV News on WhatsApp

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from across the country