'It was the worst experience of my life - he told everybody that I smelt like poo' - Manchester Evening News

'It was the worst experience of my life - he told everybody that I smelt like poo'Carmen Corr-Davies has faced years of abuse and says she has 'no quality of life', she spoke to Stephen

Topping about her horrific condition and the challenges she faces.NewsStephen Topping Senior reporter18:20, 31 May 2025Carmen Corr-Davies lives with TMAU, a condition that causes a pungent

smell(Image: submitted ) As a little girl, Carmen Corr-Davies had the world at her feet.

She loved to sing, dance and perform ballet. She was full of the same confidence, innocence and joy as any other young child.

But Carmen says she has not been able to 'fulfil her purpose' in life.

Aged 15, she caught up with a boy of the same age who she last saw five years earlier.

It was the first time she realised something was wrong - and it would go on to change the entire way she lived her life.

"It was probably the worst experience of my life," Carmen told the Manchester Evening News.

Article continues below "He told everybody that I smelt like poo. I thought it was really strange because I'm someone that showers every morning and brushes their teeth."

Carmen, 28, lives with a rare condition known as trimethylaminuria (TMAU). The condition is also known, rather crudely, as 'fish odour syndrome'.

Carmen Corr-Davies used to enjoy ballet as a child - now she stays at home(Image: submitted ) TMAU is caused by a problem with the FMO3 gene, which is supposed to produce an enzyme that

breaks down trimethylamine, a compound produced in the gut after eating certain protein-rich food.

If that process fails, trimethylamine builds up and is released as a strong odour - giving TMAU its unfortunate nickname.

From the first moment other people picked up on the smell and spoke about it, Carmen says she 'withdrew massively' from society.

She says she began to be bullied and taunted over the smell, with cruel comments made and abusive songs made about her, posted online.

Having grown up in Fallowfield, Carmen started college in Oldham in the hope of a fresh start, but the bullying continued.

"I took myself out of college," she said. "I didn't want to be around anyone.

"My mum thought it was crazy, she never picked up on any smell, but I think it was a case of her not wanting to hurt my feelings."

'I'll stay in the shower for hours... it's a natural reaction' Carmen had not noticed the odour issue herself, and she made sure she was clean by showering every day.

She questioned whether people were staying away from her because she was being taunted by someone who was popular.

Carmen says that when she first spoke to a doctor about her condition, he believed it was a mental health issue - that she had a fear of smelling bad that was 'all in her head'.

But the bullying continued online, with Carmen recalling being labelled 'stinky' and a 'piece of s***'.

She said: "I went back to the doctor. I said I was 100 per cent sure that I have got something else that's wrong with me, people are picking up on a really bad odour."

‌ It was Carmen's own research online that led to a breakthrough as she first learned about TMAU.

According to the charity Metabolic Support UK, the number of people affected by TMAU is not known.

Around 100 cases have been confirmed, but some experts believe the disorder is under-diagnosed.

‌Carmen Corr-Davies says she has faced years of abuse over her condition(Image: submitted ) It's believed TMAU affects more females than males, with symptoms often becoming worse during

puberty.

In Carmen's case, it leads to a 'pungent' smell which she describes as being like faeces, burning rubber, strong urine or rotten eggs.

‌ Carmen said: "I'll stay in the shower for hours, even though I know it's not going to make a difference. If you feel as though you smell, it's a natural reaction to clean yourself."

There is no cure for TMAU, but the condition is managed by the person's diet.

Carmen said: "People around us will sneeze or play with their nose, not being able to tolerate the smell from us."

‌ At the moment she realised her condition, Carmen says her mental health 'had never been worse'.

She said: "It was confirmation that there was something wrong with me. I said to the doctor 'I think I have TMAU'.

"He told me he didn't know what it was. When he Googled it he said it wasn't something they deal with in the UK. He was 100 per cent sure I didn't have it - he said it was too rare."

‌'I have no quality of life' A series of medical tests led to Carmen being diagnosed with TMAU.

She says she has spent almost all of the last eight years at home - too ashamed to go out because of her smell.

As the years have gone by, Carmen says her family now 'can't stand in the same room' as her, and she avoids gatherings such as funerals.

‌ "There's not one experience that I can participate in any way due to my TMAU," said Carmen.

"I don't dance anymore. I don't do ballet anymore. I don't do anything - I sit in my house day in, day out.

"I have no quality of life. I'm obsessed with books and reading. I love singing. I'm always writing poems. I spend all my time by myself.

‌ "Going out at the weekend - that's just something that doesn't apply to me. TMAU has shaped my life. I don't have any concept of time - tomorrow I will just be sat in my house again."

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Five years ago, Carmen had a son who she is now home-schooling - but she is determined to improve her confidence to take him outside to play and make friends.

‌ She draws on her own experiences to teach her little boy the importance of being kind to other people - unlike those who have targeted her with abuse over the years.

Carmen said: "Now he's nearly six he wants to be outside, has has to go outside for his own development.

"I tried to take him swimming and there were people who were disgusted by the smell of 'sewage'. I had to explain it to them. People find it absolutely revolting but it's not my fault."

‌ Carmen recently moved to Hyde with her son, but says her new neighbours have already begun to pick up on her odour and 'stay away'.

The condition has rocked her confidence for years and can lead to feelings of loneliness.

By bravely speaking out, Carmen hopes she can help others who may be suffering with TMAU to know they are not alone, and to raise awareness of the condition among people who may have never

heard of it before.

Article continues below She added: "This is my way of having my say to people - I'm not unhygienic. I'm dealing with a really hard condition. I don't deserve any of it."