A model who claims her 'cheating' ex boyfriend literally broke her heart was hospitalised with broken heart syndrome after discovering he had another girlfriend.
Leslie-Anne Smith had suspected her boyfriend of cheating for months before they broke up last September, claiming she even found other women's underwear at his house.
The 31-year-old was already struggling with the loss of her uncle, who was a father figure to her, the month before when she says she made the devastating discovery that he was seeing another woman.
Leslie-Anne was so upset by the double whammy that her pulse and heart rate skyrocketed and she feared she might die.
After taking herself to hospital, puzzled medics struggled to find out what the problem was.
But after spending a week undergoing investigations, she says doctors said it was most likely to be broken heart syndrome - also known as stress cardiomyopathy or takotsubo syndrome.
The rare condition occurs when a person experiences sudden acute stress that can rapidly weaken the heart muscle, which can be life-threatening.
Since, the real estate leasing consultant has been fitted with a heart monitor and describes how she is now scared to love again.
Leslie-Anne, from Leavenworth, Kansas, US, said: "My uncle passed [in August] and he pretty much raised me and then at the same time my ex cheated on me.
"I met him [my ex] on a dating app [Bumble] and I'd seen him on Christian dating sites.
"I thought we'd have the same morals and values.
"Initially when we started dating [May 2021] I overheard a conversation when he picked up the phone and said 'Hey baby'
"I confronted him about it and asked who he was talking to and he said it was what he called his sister.
"By the end of June he'd said I love you. I thought it was a bit soon, but went with it.
"But my ex would leave other girls' things lying around the house.
"Towards the end when I reached my breaking point [Valentine's Day 2022], they left underwear in his apartment. The least he could have done was clean up.
"I confronted him about it, but he came up with some excuse. He said maybe it got mixed up with the stuff he came in from work with. It was ridiculous. Or that it was his ex's underwear and he was keeping it.
"After that, he directed me to more underwear and jewellery that belonged to other females. He had no remorse whatsoever.
"In September I found out that he had a girlfriend."
Feeling so heartbroken that she feared for her life, Leslie-Anne took herself to hospital where the doctors and nurses soon found something wrong with her heart.
Leslie-Anne said: "When we broke up, it was hard.
"The broken heart syndrome was triggered by the break-up and my uncle's death.
"Before my uncle died, I didn't see him.
"He helped my mum pay for me to go to school, he would always check on me, I even lived with him for a year.
"It left me devastated. It was an accumulation of these things which were difficult to deal with.
"With broken heart syndrome, it's a mental thing which affects your heart. It puts so much stress on your heart.
"When I went to the hospital, they weren't really able to find out what was wrong with me. They did MRI's and stuff.
"My blood pressure would be up, my pulse would be up. I couldn't sleep. My body was weak.
"The hospital were checking my pulse before I'd go to sleep or eat or anything. I was so scared I might die.
"At the end one of the doctors said it's most likely to be broken heart syndrome considering what I'd been through."
Leslie-Anne is glad the doctors managed to discover what was wrong, but still worries about opening her heart up to love again in the future.
She said: "After being diagnosed, I thought at least it's an explanation for something. I was feeling really horrible physically.
"There are people who want to be in relationships with me but I'm scared to be in a relationship with anyone.
"I was holding onto people's memories. I've been keeping it all in and not being able to manage it properly.
"I'd say to anyone else feeling the same to take care of yourself, rather than giving from an empty cup."
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