Vegan raw food influencer Zhanna Samsonova, known for living on an exotic fruit-based diet, has died from starvation and exhaustion, according to reports. She was 39. Zhanna, originally from Russia, had been living in Malaysia for the last five years, eating an entirely raw vegan diet that primarily included fruits, sunflower seed sprouts, fruit smoothies, and juices.
Samsonova, who frequently promoted raw foods on social media where she was known to her millions of viewers as Zhanna D'Art on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, died suddenly on July 21. Local media reports indicated that she sought medical treatment during a Southeast Asia tour before her untimely death.
Starving to Her Death
According to her mother Vera Samsonova's statement to the Russian newspaper Vechernyaya Kazan, Samsonova reportedly succumbed to a "cholera-like infection" that was further aggravated by the toll of her vegan diet, which had led to the exhaustion of her body.
During the final months of her life, Samsonova's friends noted that her eating habits had become significantly and concerningly restrictive.
"A few months ago, in Sri Lanka, she already looked exhausted, with swollen legs oozing lymph," one unidentified friend told Newsflash. "They sent her home to seek treatment. However, she ran away again. When I saw her in Phuket, I was horrified.
"I lived one floor above her and every day I feared finding her lifeless body in the morning. I convinced her to seek treatment, but she didn't make it."
However, the official cause of Zhanna's death has not yet been determined, as her family is busy working to repatriate her body to Russia.
Her mother told local media that Zhanna was scheduled to fly back to Kazan the day before she passed away.
She tried to persuade her daughter to adopt more balanced eating habits because she disapproved of her daughter's severe diet but she refused.
Tragic Death
Zhanna had been adhering to a vegan diet for approximately ten years. Initially, she allowed herself the occasional consumption of fish and dairy before transitioning to a fully vegan lifestyle.
As time went on, Zhanna's eating habits became increasingly extreme and restrictive. According to Time News, a friend revealed that for the past seven years, she solely consumed durian, a spiky fruit known for its strong odor.
"I see my body and mind transform every day," Samsonova had gushed while describing her restrictive eating regimen. "I love my new me, and never move on to the habits that I used to use."
Despite reports of her increasingly restrictive eating habits, Zhanna's Instagram feed presented a different picture. It shows various videos featuring vibrant and colorful raw dishes, including soups, salads, fruits, burgers, and cakes, garnering tens of thousands of views.
Unfortunately, Zhanna's friends believe that her supposed "healthy" food choices were a contributing factor to her untimely demise.
"You don't need to be a doctor to understand where this will lead," said one pal of her all-durian and jack fruit diet.
"Zhanna's idle stagnation was causing her to melt before our eyes, but she believed everything was fine," theorized another. "Only her eyes, merry eyes, and gorgeous hair compensated for the dreadful sight of a body tortured by idiocy. Forgive me if it sounds harsh."
On June 7, in a post on her social media, Zhanna expressed her excitement for the fruit season in Thailand, stating that it was a perfect opportunity for her to "gain weight."
