Sophie Hunt died at Avrupa Safak Hospital in Istanbul, two days after undergoing cosmetic surgery.
Author: Vicky HainesPosted on December 18, 2025
The family of a “bloated” mother-of-two who died after flying to Turkey for a tummy tuck and Brazilian butt lift (BBL) are concerned she was not suitable for the surgery, an inquest has heard.
Sophie Hunt, 34, from Northampton, died at Avrupa Safak Hospital in Istanbul on March 9, 2022, two days after undergoing cosmetic surgery at the city’s private Nisantasi Hospital.
On Thursday, an inquest into her death at Northampton Coroner’s Court was told Mrs Hunt had multi-organ failure and died after going into cardiac arrest three times.
In a statement read to the court by assistant coroner Sophie Lomas, Ms Hunt’s mother Sandra Hunt said her daughter flew to Turkey for cosmetic procedures including a tummy tuck and BBL but was passed out after the operation and had swelling in her hands.
Hunt’s mother said documents from the hospital showed “some of the EKG (electrocardiogram) readings indicated an abnormal heartbeat,” which she was told was not healthy.
He added: “We believe she was not fit for surgery.”
Her statement also said she had concerns that there might be a complication from the BBL procedure if too much fat was injected or removed from Ms Hunt’s body.
The coroner told the inquest that because Ms Hunt died in another country, he “does not have the jurisdiction to fully investigate what happened at this hospital”.
Ms Lomas added: “I have to get to the findings on the information I have.”
A report provided by the Forensic Council of Turkey said: “The person had no known medical illnesses. He presented to the hospital with abdominal and buttocks discomfort.”
She added that she had a tummy tuck, also known as a tummy tuck, and liposuction on March 7, 2022, before experiencing a “sudden loss of consciousness.”
Mrs Hunt was revived, the inquest heard, but suffered a second cardiac arrest in an ambulance en route to another hospital with a dedicated cardiac intensive care unit, where she later died of respiratory failure and organ failure.
The Turkish inquest found that Ms Hunt died “as a result of abdominoplasty and liposuction procedures and the complications that developed afterwards”.
A post-mortem examination was carried out by consultant histopathologist Professor Kevin West when Mrs Hunt’s body was repatriated to the UK, said the coroner, who also concluded she died from complications of the surgery.
The inquest heard Professor West said “the exact cause of the cardiopulmonary arrest is not clear” but it was likely to be due to the procedures.
The coroner recorded a narrative conclusion which read: “Sophie Hunt died as a result of complications from surgery carried out abroad.”
Hunt’s mother said in her written statement: “Sophie was outgoing, bubbly and very kind.
“She worked as a chef and loved cooking and music.”
