The mother of a vegan influencer who lived on an “extreme” diet of raw fruits and vegetables before she reportedly died of starvation and exhaustion, has recounted how she “fought for years” to save her daughter.
Vera Samsonova, 63, said her daughter Zhanna Samsonova, known as Zhanna D’Art on social media, “didn’t listen” when she warned her about the effects of her extremely restrictive diet.
Ms. Samsonova, originally from Russia, had followed a raw plant-based diet for ten years consisting of fruit, sunflower seed sprouts, fruit smoothies and juices before she died on July 21.
The 39-year-old woman, who friends said suffered from anorexia, became so weak in the final weeks of her life as a result of her extreme diet that she was virtually bedridden and it took her “several minutes” to walk. climb a step on a ladder.
Ms Samsonova, who had not drunk water for more than six years and instead replaced it with fruit and vegetable juices, died on July 21 while in intensive care at a Malaysian hospital.
His mother has spoken of her anguish over his death, which she believes was the result of a cholera-like infection that was exacerbated by his extreme diet.
The official cause of death for Ms Samsonova has yet to be determined as her mother fights to have her body returned to Russia amid bureaucratic delays.
Vera Samsonova, 63, said her daughter Zhanna Samsonova (pictured), known as Zhanna D’Art on social media, “didn’t listen” when she warned her about the effects of her extremely restrictive diet.
There were periods when Ms Samsonova (pictured last month) practiced ‘dry fasting’, refusing to eat or drink anything for days on end.
Ms Samsonova (pictured), whose friends say she suffered from anorexia, became so weak in the last weeks of her life as a result of her extreme dieting that she was virtually bedridden and it would take her ‘several minutes’ to walk a step on a ladder
Zhanna Samsonova (pictured), originally from Russia and known as Zhanna D’Art on social media, had followed a raw plant-based diet for ten years consisting of fruit, sunflower seed sprouts, fruit smoothies, and juices .
Vera said she had “fought for years” to encourage her daughter to seek help and eat a healthier diet, but Samsonova, who had more than 10,000 followers on Instagram and had traveled Asia for the past 17 years, had refused.
“She’s already read, she’s gone,” Vera told the Russian media. ‘Please she stops writing bad things, it hurts a lot. She chose this path. I fought for many years (but) she didn’t listen to her mother’.
Friends of the 39-year-old have revealed they were “appalled” by her emaciated appearance and begged her to seek help from doctors, but she refused, continuing her raw plant-based food diet.
There were periods when Ms. Samsonova practiced “dry fasting”, refusing to eat or drink for days.
She shared a selfie in a chilling final Instagram post days before her death in which she wrote: “Life is meaningless, but it’s worth living, as long as you acknowledge that it’s meaningless.”
In the last months of her life, Ms Samsonova’s friends desperately urged her to seek help and eat more hearty food, but said it was “impossible” to get her to talk to doctors or eat anything other than fruits and vegetables. raw.
Olga Chernyaeva, one of the influencer’s friends, told the Russian newspaper Novye Izvestia: ‘I watched his journey to death for seven years. About five months ago, I met Zhanna in Sri Lanka and she was haggard looking.
“Her legs were swollen… It was unbelievable that she was still moving, I think she did it through the pain.”
Ms Chernyaeva added: ‘I tried to talk to her, to convince her to seek help from doctors, to have tests. I showed him her body in the mirror and in photographs from years past. But Zhanna’s character was not simple, it was impossible to convince her on certain issues.’
Her devastated friend said she watched helplessly as Ms Samsonova was turned into “just bones” and left virtually bedridden.
Ms Chernyaeva said: ‘She was bedridden for almost a month. If she got up, she found it very difficult to walk: it took her several minutes to get up one step of the stairs.
‘I brought him fruits every morning, it was impossible to make him eat anything else. Boolean arguments didn’t work. Zhanna believed that death does not exist.
Zhanna Samsonova, originally from Russia and known as Zhanna D’Art on social media, shared a chilling final post days before she was supposed to die of starvation and exhaustion.
In a post published on June 7, Ms. Samsonova said she was excited for the fruit season in Thailand, saying it was “time to gain weight.”
Another of Ms Samsonova’s friends, whom she met in Thailand, told a Russian media outlet 116.ru: ‘It was scary to look at her, really, her hands were like my 12-year-old sister’s, thin.’
Another friend said he saw Ms Samsonova a few months ago in Sri Lanka ‘looking exhausted’.
“She was sent home to seek treatment. However, she ran away again. When I saw her in Phuket, I was horrified,” they said.
“I lived one floor above her and every day I was afraid to find her lifeless body in the morning. I convinced her to seek treatment, but she did not make it, ”added her friend.
Another friend said: ‘Ms Samsonova’s idle hunger was causing her to melt before our eyes, but she believed all was well.
‘Her eyes alone, her merry eyes and her beautiful hair, made up for the hideous sight of a body tortured by idiocy. Forgive me if it sounds harsh.
Ms Samsonova refused to listen to their warnings and it proved fatal after she reportedly died of an infection and exhaustion exacerbated by her raw food diet.
The food blogger’s mother, Vera Samsonova, told local media that Samsonova was supposed to fly home to Kazan on the day of her death.
Vera did not approve of her daughter’s extreme diet and tried to convince her to introduce more balanced eating habits, but she refused.
Ms Samsonova transitioned from veganism to a purely raw food diet consisting of vegetables and fruit, and the influencer shared what she described as “healthy” recipes on her Instagram profile.
The influencer, who appeared increasingly haggard in her social media videos as time went on, posted images of herself eating her lunch, which sometimes consisted of a whole melon and carrot juice.
In another video, Ms. Samsonova told her Instagram followers how she ate cherry tomatoes, avocado and avocado juice for lunch.
‘Although I cook sophisticated raw dishes, I eat very simply. My food is simple, no oil, no salt, no dehydrated food and no protein,” Ms. Samsonova wrote in a post. ‘Today for lunch I have a delicious avocado kefir, sweet cherry tomatoes and ripe avocado. Enjoy.’
One person commented on Ms Samsonova’s recent post, writing: ‘This is just pure starvation, not a healthy raw vegan diet. Sorry to hear it ended badly. I wish I could have helped you out of your eating disorder.
Ms Samsonova (pictured) had claimed that her ten years on a raw herbal basis had meant she was “in perfect health” and “never had the usual seasonal cold”.
Ms. Samsonova had followed a vegan diet for more than 15 years, beginning by indulging in fish and dairy products from time to time.
However, over the years, her restrictive eating became more and more extreme and she would eventually only eat raw fruits and vegetables along with juice.
She had claimed that her ten years on a raw herbal basis had meant she was “in perfect health” and “never had the usual seasonal cold.”
But in 2021, Ms. Samsonova traveled back to her native Russia for the first time in nine years, only to immediately fall ill with coronavirus.
Ms Samsonova said she had “ignored” all Covid precautions before she was infected and bizarrely claimed she was “cured” of the virus by dry fasting, where she did not drink or eat anything for more than ten days.
She wrote on Instagram: “I was the category of people who were not afraid of getting infected with viruses and ignored all precautions, because in the last ten years on raw plant-based diets I was in perfect health and I didn’t.” even get the usual cold of the season.
“And ironically… I still got sick (with Covid) and was bedridden for ten days.”
Ms. Samsonova then went on to strangely state: “I began to heal with dry fasting, since I have been practicing this method for a long time, since I can cure all ailments.”
‘Little by little, the disease began to recede, and the days of dry hunger and every day he was better and better… The most critical moment has passed. I have overcome this disease despite my unconventional treatment which many condemn.’
If you need help and support, you can speak in confidence with the charity’s advisors. Beat eating disorders by calling your adult helpline on 0808 801 0677 or youth helpline on 0808 801 0711.
You can visit their website here: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/get-help-for-myself/i-need-support-now/helplines/
