Silvana Bernardes, 34, has been left heartbroken after her fiancé Cameron Wallace, 33, died suddenly while swimming with turtles on a lads' trip to Zante, Greece. Wallace had travelled to the island with a friend on August 17 for a five-day break after losing his job, but tragedy struck just a day into the trip.
Final moments on boat trip
On August 18, Wallace had been on a boat trip to see turtles. According to reports, his friend noticed he was unresponsive and floating next to him just a couple of seconds after he entered the water. Bernardes, who lives in Exeter, Devon, said she had grown increasingly concerned after not hearing from him that morning, before his friend called with the tragic news.
She recalled: "I woke up and for some reason I felt like something was wrong. His friend called and said, 'I don't know how to say this, something bad's happened'."
"I had a bad feeling. I just started screaming and saying 'no' and he said 'Cameron died' and I hung up the phone and just cried and sobbed."
Resuscitation attempts
Bernardes explained that the pair had enjoyed lunch and a few drinks before Wallace went on the boat trip. His companion administered CPR and brought him back to the shoreline, where lifeguards continued resuscitation efforts. Wallace was rushed to hospital but tragically died before reaching it.
She said: "When he got to the hospital he was already dead. It's just terrible. He went there to have a nice time and take his mind off things and then this terrible thing happened."
Health concerns before death
Wallace's death followed a concerning period. He had collapsed with a seizure just two days after starting his new role as a team leader at a water company on May 13. Medical professionals initially suspected stress might have triggered it, though he was subsequently given medication after experiencing panic episodes and sleep disturbances. He had also consulted a neurologist on August 12 and was awaiting additional tests.
The circumstances surrounding his death remain unexplained, leaving Bernardes searching for answers. She said: "We have been considering whether his death was due to the seizure. Did his heart just stop? Did he have a panic attack or a stroke? Whatever they rule we'll go with that just to close the chapter and move on with things."
Plans for repatriation
Bernardes and Wallace had been together for more than a decade after connecting online in 2016. They got engaged in Colombia last December and were planning their wedding in Vietnam for May 2028. She said: "It's heartbreaking to lose him. It was so unexpected for me and his family."
Bernardes now hopes to have Wallace repatriated to the UK, with a fundraising appeal established to facilitate his return and support those closest to him. She said: "It will mean a lot for me and family and friends to give him his send-off and bring him home."
Paying tribute to her fiancé, she added: "There's not enough words to describe Cameron. He was a very kind man with a big heart of gold." She described him as someone with a gift for making others laugh, regularly keeping in touch with mates and spreading happiness wherever he went. "We have been really lucky because we had some lovely holidays and travelled the world and met some lovely people. We had so many plans and so many things we wanted to happen."
