A husband whose wife was left brain damaged after starting a detox diet has warned others to be careful trying to lose weight.

Mother-of-two Dawn Page was left fighting for her life after she collapsed a few days after starting to drink up to six extra pints of water a day and cutting down on her salt intake.

She is now left with epilepsy, depression, has brain damage and will never work again.

On Friday, Mrs Page, 52, secured a £810,000 settlement at the High Court from the insurance company representing nutritionist Barbara Nash, of Wheatley. She has denied liability.

Mrs Page's husband Geoff, 54, of Coxwell Street, Faringdon, said his wife weighed 12 stone when she paid Mrs Nash about £50 for a consultation.

He said: "She was not obese or even mildly obese, but like a lot of women, Dawn liked to look after her weight and was not having much success with the normal ways of doing that.

"She had tried Weight Watchers and calorie control diets - this was just another potential route for her to lose weight."

In the High Court, Mrs Page's legal team claimed Mrs Nash advised her to avoid salt and drink an extra six pints of water a day.

Within days she began vomiting uncontrollably, but her lawyers claimed that when she consulted Mrs Nash she was told it "was part of the detoxification process".

She suffered a Grand Mal fit on October 2, 2001, and was taken to intensive care at Swindon's Princess Margaret Hospital.

Dennis Matthews told the court that Mrs Nash denied she was in any way to blame and the settlement was reached without any admission of liability.

Mr Page said his wife, who used to work at Didcot Power Station, still required daily medication to control her moods and had to be taught simple tasks by repetition.

He said: "She nearly died. It has been like losing somebody, but not losing somebody. My wife was a very bubbly and outgoing person. She is nowhere near that now."

Mr Page appealed for anyone trying to lose weight to investigate any possible effects of any diet or plan.

We called at Mrs Nash's home and practice, but she was unavailable for comment. Her lawyers were also unavailable.

She has a diploma of natural nutrition gained from the College of Natural Nutrition in London.