Mother Leah Cambridge died from fat clot caused by 'Brazilian butt lift', inquest hears
The mother-of-three is said to have undergone the procedure after becoming increasingly paranoid about excess stomach weight gain.
Tuesday 22 January 2019 16:41, UK
A mother-of-three who travelled to Turkey for a "Brazilian butt lift" died from a fat clot caused by the procedure, an inquest has heard.
Leah Cambridge, 29, from Leeds, attended a private clinic in the coastal city of Izmir to undergo the increasingly popular cosmetic surgery in August.
But the beautician died following complications during the surgery, a hearing at Wakefield Coroner's Court was told.
Opening the inquest, assistant coroner James Hargan said a provisional post-mortem revealed that she died from a fat embolism.
He said: "Arrangements were made for her to have cosmetic surgery at a private hospital in Izmir, Turkey.
"The deceased arrived in Turkey with her mother on 26 August, collected from the airport and taken to that hospital.
"The procedure took place on the morning of 27 August 2018.
"At round about half past one in the afternoon of that day, the deceased's mother was informed by hospital staff that there had been complications during the surgery and, sadly, Ms Cambridge had died."
After her death, it was reported that Ms Cambridge had three heart attacks during the procedure.
She was reported to have visited the Izmir Private Can Hospital, popular with celebrities, for the £3,000 operation after becoming paranoid about excess stomach weight gain after having children.
The procedure - which reshapes the buttocks by transferring fat from other areas of the body - has become far more common among women seeking to achieve hourglass figures similar to the likes of Kim Kardashian.
It is especially popular in the US and Brazil, and the deaths of dozens of women in Latin America have been put down to synthetic polymers commonly used in the procedure.
Advocates of the procedure claim it achieves results quickly and recovery is usually fast, though experts have warned it carries a risk of serious complications.
Ms Cambridge's partner, Scott Franks, told The Sun he had been left a "broken man" and warned others planning to go under the knife to consider the risks.
The 31-year-old also claimed that claimed that Ms Cambridge was "really early into the operation" when she died.
No family members attended the inquest opening in Wakefield on Tuesday and Mr Hargan adjourned proceedings to allow further inquiries to take place.