‘Whispering MP’ on recovery after Lib Dem was warned she may lose voice permanently

The “whispering MP” who feared she may never speak normally again revealed she has seen signs of recovery after suffering nerve damage during surgery. Liberal Democrat Anna Sabine lost her voice for several months following a thyroid operation in June which cut one of the nerves to her vocal cords, leaving her with a condition called vocal cord paralysis Ms Sabine, who is the Lib Dems’ digital, culture, media and sport spokeswoman, was left facing months of therapy and the “terrifying” prospect her normal voice could never return.

The MP for Frome and East Somerset said the loss of her voice made her want to “hide” when Parliament returned in September. However, after a spell using a microphone in the House of Commons, Ms Sabine awoke a few weeks ago to find it had regained some of its natural strength. Speaking to the Press Association, Ms Sabine, 46, said she first realised something was wrong when she woke up from surgery in hospital in Bath. Read more: Badenoch hits out at ‘navel-gazing distraction’ after Burnham says he's open to formal UK slavery apology Read more: Starmer breaks silence to warn change in Europe-US defence ties is ‘permanent, not Trump aberration’ She said: “I had been warned it might feel strange, so I was trying to reassure myself hopefully this was just what it was going to feel like.

“But the next morning my surgeon did come around and say ‘I’m really sorry but there has been a mistake and we have caused permanent damage’. At that point he said ‘I’m really sorry, we don’t know if you’ll ever recover’. “At that time I could speak, but only just. I was kind of whispering. I sounded totally different to how I do today, so that was a terrifying prospect.” After her diagnosis, she underwent speech and language therapy, including being given exercises like blowing bubbles.

When Parliament returned after the summer, she had to use a microphone to take part in debates. Ms Sabine said the experience had been a shock and had left her quite lonely. Ms Sabine said: “What happens is you get sent home and you wonder what on earth has happened to your life. “One of the interesting things about this journey is that I’ve spoken to loads of other people in similar situations about what an isolating experience it is.

“Your voice is a really key point of who you are, whether you are an MP or not. You’re just sat at home thinking ‘will I ever speak normally again?’. You can’t call your family from another room, you can’t call the dog back, it’s a very strange experience. “There’s not any really emotional support around the challenge that you’re facing.” She added: “When I came back to work in September I really wanted to hide, I did not want to speak in the chamber with my voice, because it actually, at that point, when you stood up to speak, you weren’t really sure what was going to come out.

“But over that summer, I had heard from so many people because I’d done various radio and TV about it, and people had emailed me. “I felt like there’s all these people that are genuinely finding it inspiring that I’m on the radio or on TV. “I can’t now hide away, so I kind of felt inspired by them really to stand up in the chamber, which I did feel really embarrassed about. Even though no-one made me feel embarrassed, it felt extremely exposing.

“I’m glad I did it because I kind of then felt if I can do that, I shouldn’t be scared of being in the chamber any more. Because if I can do it with a very squeaky voice, I can do it in any way.” Ms Sabine said groups like the British Voice Association and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists can provide support, and that she would be doing a campaign about getting more therapy for adults. Her voice is now the closest to normal that it has been since the surgery.

“During recess one morning I woke up and my voice was like it is now, and my family said ‘your voice is stronger’,” she said. “My friends would say I don’t sound quite like I used to, and I can feel that my voice is still really wobbly. But, broadly speaking, it’s back to where it should be.”