A vegan influencer shared an eerie final post shortly before dying of “hunger and exhaustion” at 39.
Russian social media star Zhanna Samsonova – who had been eating only raw foods such as fruit, sunflower seed sprouts and juices for four years – died on July 21, reportedly from a “cholera-like infection”.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Footage of vegan influencer before shock death
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Her condition was made worse because of “body exhaustion” from her extremely limited diet, her mother Vera Samsonova told Russian newspaper Vechernyaya Kazan.
Now, Samsonova’s shock final Instagram post has been revealed – in which she wrote about how life was “meaningless”.
“Life is meaningless but worth living provided you recognise it’s meaningless,” she wrote, alongside a photo of herself with her mouth open.
Samsonova was on a tour of south-east Asia when she died.
Friends of the influencer told how they had been concerned about her declining health.
“A few months ago, in Sri Lanka, she already looked exhausted,” one said, according to British publication the Sun.
“I lived one floor above her and every day I feared finding her lifeless body in the morning. I convinced her to seek treatment, but she didn’t make it.”
Samsonova’s official cause of death has not been released.
She previously detailed how she stopped eating and drinking for days when she contracted COVID in 2021.
“I completely lost my appetite, and I decided not to force my body, but simply to give it a rest, refraining from any food and drink,” she wrote on social media at the time.
Her mother told local Russian media that, on the day she died, her daughter was actually expected to fly back to the Russian city of Kazan.
She admitted she did not approve of her daughter’s extreme diet. Vera said she had tried to convince her to adopt more balanced eating habits, but her daughter refused.
Samsonova had followed a vegan diet for about a decade. Over time, the food restrictions became more and more extreme. One friend claimed that for the past seven years, she had only eaten durian, Time News reported.
Samsonova’s Instagram feed showed a different story, however, and was filled with videos and views of colourful raw dishes including soups, salads, fruit, and even burgers and cakes.In a post published on June 7, Samsonova said she was excited about the fruit season in Thailand saying that it was “the time to gain weight.”
With CNN
If you or anyone you know has an eating disorder, or if you would like information, referrals or counselling for eating disorders, disordered eating or body image concerns, contact The Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 3673 or butterfly.org.au
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