Lucy Devine
A YouTuber who woke up in hospital to discover his girlfriend had died after they shared a meal together has made an emotional plea.
Earlier this year, social media star Billy LeBlanc, 44, was left devastated when his girlfriend, Natalie Clark, died after eating an oyster.
Clark passed away after contracting a bacterial infection known as Vibrio Vulnificus.
The lethal virus enters the body when infected shellfish living in coastal waters are consumed either raw or undercooked.
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It's impossible to tell if an oyster is infected with the virus, as it doesn't cause the seafood to taste, smell or look any different.
Taking to social media, Billy explained: "We ate oysters and we both felt sick for a couple days and then I woke up and she was gone."
Billy had spent 12 days in hospital with Natalie, after he too contracted the deadly virus. Eight of those days were spent receiving intensive care, after which he thankfully recovered, though Natalie did not.
"I don't know what to say. I'm trying to figure my life out now, and what's next for me, so thank you for all your love and support to everyone who gave that," he added.
Now, Billy has shared a video with his followers on YouTube, explaining he wants to fulfil one of Natalie's wishes she had before she passed away.
"One of the things that Natalie always wanted me to do... was to do a podcast," he said.
Billy went on to explain that he had a list of questions that Natalie wanted him to answer on the podcast, if he ever made one.
One of the questions was, 'what made you attracted to me?'
"Of course she would put this at the top of her questions - and she knows the answer, she just wanted me to say it," said Billy. "We were very similar, we thought the same things were funny, we were both into things like the news and sports and we just... I thought she was smart and funny."
Billy also answered some other questions, including why it had been so difficult to get him to start a podcast.
"I was always looking for a person to do a podcast with," said Billy. "...I think it's more entertaining when there's more than one person... I'm sure you can do them long-distance but you do have to play off each other so you do have to at least FaceTime each other."
Billy explained he felt it would be better with two people and was looking for a co-host to help fulfil Natalie's wish.
The YouTuber first found online fame through his account Bratayleys, which featured him, his ex wife Katie LeBlanc and their three kids - Annie, Hayley and Caleb.