Brit, 47, dies while recovering from tummy tuck and boob job in Turkey

Published: 23:03, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 23:04, 8 July 2026 A British grandmother who was described as 'full of life and joy' died while recovering from consecutive cosmetic procedures in Turkey, an inquest heard. Caroline Baker, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, travelled to Antalya, Turkey, with her daughter in July 2025 to undergo a tummy tuck and breast augmentation surgery. However, despite what doctors described as a 'successful surgery', she began to 'gasp for air', suffered a 'heart attack' and died, Turkish authorities said.  The 47-year-old had previously travelled to Turkey for gastric sleeve surgery, a weight-loss procedure.  Concerns were raised by her daughter Kayden, who was with her mother at the time of her procedures, after the surgery on July 16, 2025, lasted longer than the scheduled four hours, causing her to 'panic'.  Doctors later told her daughter Kayden her mother had 'fallen ill' after the procedures and, despite receiving 'almost an hour' of CPR, she tragically died at 7pm.  Winchester Coroner's Court heard on Wednesday the medical cause of death recorded by the Turkish authorities was a 'heart attack'.  In a statement read to the court by Senior Coroner Christopher Wilkinson, Mrs Baker's husband Graham said: 'My wife was a much-loved mother, wife and grandmother. A British grandmother who was described as 'full of life and joy' died while recovering from consecutive cosmetic procedures in Turkey, an inquest at Winchester Coroner's Court heard 'She had known no illness or physical disabilities, but she had suffered from depression following the death of our daughter. 'She was full of life and joy. No words can seek to comprehend the pain we go through every single day.' Kayden, in a statement also read by Mr Wilkinson, recalled arriving at the hospital in Turkey in the early hours of the morning before her mother's operation.  'We stayed overnight for her surgery the next day. When the doctors arrived in the morning, they did all the necessary checks and she was all set for the surgery,' she said.  'We said our goodbyes and she was taken away to surgery.  'The surgery was scheduled for around four hours. The hours continued passing by and nurses arrived to take her recovery bed into the other room. 'This was when I began to panic.' Kayden described being taken into another room after questioning doctors about what had happened to her mother.  Liposuction that offers to remove up to 15 litres of fat, BBL's, eye colour changing laser treatments and hymenoplasties are all offered in clinics across Turkey 'They explained that the surgery had been successful, but after the surgery my mother became ill and began gasping for air when her heart stopped,' she said. 'They said they did everything they could for 47 minutes, but they were unable to get her heart beating again.' A post-mortem carried out by Turkish authorities recorded the cause of death as a heart attack.  However, the coroner heard that this is not an accepted medical cause of death in the country, after a separate post-mortem took place. Mrs Baker's body was returned to the UK, where Dr Adnan Al-Badri found she had undergone a 'successful' abdominoplasty, commonly known as a tummy tuck, and a breast augmentation.  Dr Al-Badri, who was based in Hampshire, said there were no signs of infection or sepsis from scars following the surgery. He also found no evidence of scarring to the heart or other findings consistent with a heart attack.  However, he identified signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and fatty deposits in her lungs. Caroline Baker, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, travelled to Antalya, Turkey, with her daughter Kayden in July 2025 to undergo a tummy tuck and breast augmentation surgery (stock photo)  Mr Wilkinson said: 'It is my understanding the operation was successful. She came out of the operating theatre, and it was in recovery that she struggled breathing and had a heart attack.' A toxicology report prepared by Peter Streete found drugs in Mrs Baker's system that were consistent with anaesthesia, as well as her prescribed antidepressants. He said that although there were 'raised levels,' they were not high enough to conclude that they contributed to her death. Mr Wilkinson gave an open conclusion, saying there was a lack of 'sufficient evidence' from the post-mortem or the toxicology report and that no further information had been provided by the Turkish authorities. He said despite the best efforts of both the coroner's office and the Foreign Office, he had not been able to find out any further information from the Turkish authorities relating to the death. Mr Wilkinson said Mrs Baker died following 'cosmetic surgery' in Turkey at 7pm local time on July 16, 2025. He said: 'We know, based on the evidence from the hospital, her daughter and from the postmortem report, that the surgery itself, in which there were two surgeries undertaken, doesn't seem to have played a contributory part in her death.' He added the surgery was carried out with the 'necessary requirement' and that it was a 'natural' cause of death. He added: 'However, what I can say is that it is more than likely that COPD or lung infection has caused extra pressure on her heart. 'But there is not enough evidence before me to further explain the medical cause of death or the extent the surgery contributed to it. 'The only conclusion I can return is an open conclusion that it is possible that she died from natural causes exacerbated by the effects of surgery. 'In the absence of further information from Turkey, I have given the evidence that we have and I hope that it may help to provide comfort to the family. 'Once again I extend my condolences to the family.' Antalya is a hotspot for British cosmetic surgery, with thousands of Brits flying overseas for cosmetic surgery at a fraction of the price.  Figures show more than half a million British patients left the UK for healthcare overseas last year, with top spots including: Turkey, Poland and Romania. Some 196,000 people travelled to Turkey in 2024 for medical treatment, according to the Office for National Statistics.