A mother collapsed and died at work after subjecting herself to a crash diet in an effort to look good on a family holiday.
Lucy Prince, 36, lost 20lb in a month by replacing meals with slimming drinks and exercising heavily in preparation for a break with her daughter.
But her heart stopped at work and she collapsed in front of her manager at a car factory.
She died in hospital having never regained consciousness. An inquest yesterday heard that Miss Prince weighed 16st 2lbs in June this year but was only 14st 8lbs when she collapsed in June.
Lucy Prince replaced meals with slimming shakes and exercised heavily to shed weight before a family holiday
She also suffered from low blood pressure and her potassium levels had dropped dangerously low after the diet.
She had an inflamed heart which, combined with low potassium levels, caused her collapse according to a post-mortem examination.
Miss Prince’s stepmother, Lesley Prince, told the inquest that the manager who witnessed the collapse, at Toyota’s plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire, said it came without warning.
She said: ‘Apparently, they were having a normal work conversation when Lucy’s eyes rolled back and she dropped to the floor.
‘She never said she had been unwell at all, she had been laughing and joking.
‘I was at work and got a phone call from my husband saying we needed to phone Lucy at work.’
‘I was at work and got a phone call from my husband saying we needed to phone Lucy at work.’
Miss Prince’s 14-year-old daughter had been at an army camp and had suffered ill health herself and been taken to hospital, her stepmother explained.
‘When I was told Lucy had collapsed, I thought it was because she had got the news that her daughter was poorly as well.’
Louise Pinder, deputy coroner for Derby and South Derbyshire, said: ‘Miss Prince had been dieting, exercising heavily and replacing meals with diet shakes close to her collapse.
‘But the cause of her low potassium levels remains unclear. There is no definitive explanation. I have been looking to see if there is a direct link between the low potassium level and her myocarditis (heart inflammation) but the existence of both of them is relevant in causing Lucy’s collapse.’
Miss Prince, from Chellaston, Derbyshire, showed signs of scarring in her heart, pathologist Dr David Green, who carried out the post-mortem examination, told the hearing.
He also said that her potassium level, which should have measured between 3.5 and 5, was at 2.4.
But he was unable to say for certain why it was so low. He added: ‘What is likely is that, for whatever reason, her potassium levels fell to a low level and because her
heart was already diseased, it was unable to cope.
heart was already diseased, it was unable to cope.
‘In basic terms, her brain was starved of oxygen because her heart stopped beating. And her heart stopped beating because there was a severe lack of potassium in the blood stream.’
Miss Pinder returned a verdict of death by natural causes.
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