'Rare condition means I never leave my house as people say I smell like poo'

A young mum says she rarely leaves the house and has been subjected to years of relentless over a rare condition that makes her "smell like poo". Carmen Corr-Davies was just 15-years-old when a hurtful comment from a boy changed her life forever.

Despite showering every day and staying well-groomed, he told others she "smelt like poo" - the first sign of a she'd never heard of. Now aged 28, the young mum from Fallowfield, , lives with trimethylaminuria (TMAU), often dubbed 'fish odour syndrome' - a metabolic disorder that causes a strong body odour. The condition led to years of bullying and isolation, but Carmen is now sharing her story to raise awareness and understanding.

TMAU is caused by a fault in the FMO3 gene, which prevents the body from breaking down trimethylamine - a compound made after eating certain protein-rich foods, reports. When it builds up, it’s released through the skin and breath as a strong, unpleasant odour, earning the condition its nickname ‘fish odour syndrome’.

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As soon as people began noticing the smell, Carmen says she withdrew from society. She was bullied, mocked, and even targeted with abusive songs shared online.

Hoping for a fresh start, Carmen started college in Oldham, but the bullying continued. "I took myself out of college," she said. "I didn't want to be around anyone. My mum thought it was crazy, she never picked up on any smell, but I think it was a case of her not wanting to hurt my feelings."

When she went to see a doctor for the first time, he believed it was a mental health issue - that she had a fear of smelling bad that was 'all in her head'. But the bullying continued, with Carmen labelled 'stinky' and a 'piece of s***'. She said: "I went back to the doctor. I said I was 100% sure that I have got something else that's wrong with me, people are picking up on a really bad odour."

It was her own research online that led to a breakthrough, as Carmen first stumbled upon TMAU. According to the charity Metabolic Support UK, there are around 100 cases of the condition, although experts believe it to be under-diagnosed. It's believed TMAU affects more women than men, with symptoms often becoming worse during puberty. While there is no cure for the condition, it can be managed through a person's diet.

Carmen was officially diagnosed with TMAU after a series of medical tests. The mum says it creates a 'pungent' smell which she describes as being like faeces, burning rubber, strong urine or rotten eggs, despite her staying in the shower for hours.

Carmen says almost all of her last eight years have been spent at home because she is too ashamed of her smell. "There's not one experience that I can participate in any way due to my TMAU," said Carmen. "I don't dance anymore. I don't do ballet anymore. I don't do anything - I sit in my house day in, day out. I have no quality of life. I'm obsessed with books and reading. I love singing. I'm always writing poems. I spend all my time by myself.

"Going out at the weekend - that's just something that doesn't apply to me. TMAU has shaped my life. I don't have any concept of time - tomorrow I will just be sat in my house again."

Carmen is currently home-schooling her five-year-old son, but is determined to improve her confidence to take him outside to play and make friends. She draws on her own experiences to teach her little boy the importance of being kind to other people - unlike those who have targeted her with abuse over the years.

She said: "Now he's nearly six he wants to be outside, has to go outside for his own development. I tried to take him swimming and there were people who were disgusted by the smell of 'sewage'. I had to explain it to them. People find it absolutely revolting but it's not my fault."