Ashley Surcombe, a 29-year-old British influencer living in Seoul, was found unconscious in her apartment on 24 March after her parents raised the alarm when she stopped responding to messages.
She was discovered by police in a severely dehydrated state with multiple organ failure and was rushed to the ICU, where she has since regained consciousness but remains under observation.
Her parents – Karen and Nigel Surcombe – last spoke with her two days ago when she mentioned feeling unwell and confused. They were reportedly initially worried because she had suffered a fall weeks earlier, resulting in a black eye.
Her father has travelled to South Korea, and her family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover the mounting medical bills, as her health insurance had recently lapsed. They are seeking to raise £50,000, with ICU care alone costing up to £1,500 per day.
Who is Ashley Surcombe?
Originally from Gloucestershire, a county in South West England, Ms Surcombe grew up in the UK before eventually moving to South Korea, where she has reportedly spent the last five years. However, on her LinkedIn, eight years ago, she wrote: “Going to be moving to Korea under a Working Holiday Visa in February - Looking for work in the entertainment industry.
“Social media influencer with interest in acting and music, currently learning Korean.”
And last year in September, she wrote on her X account: “So I’m going to start vlogging – I’m officially moving to South Korea with a visa, no more back and forth.”
She has 465,000 followers on Instagram alone and has amassed over a million followers across various social media platforms with content primarily about her experiences living in South Korea.
She aimed to be a travel and lifestyle influencer and she is fluent in Korean, as is evident from her captions on social media, and planned to document her travels across Southeast Asian countries.
Her last Instagram post was over six weeks ago, featuring a Korean beer and in another post, she posted a Happy Chinese New Year message.
The British influencer’s parents have been deeply involved in efforts to support her since her sudden health crisis. When she stopped responding to their messages, they reportedly grew concerned and sought help through contacts in South Korea, ultimately prompting authorities to check on her.
Her sister, Kat Surcombe, has been sharing updates and seeking financial support for Ms Surcombe’s medical treatment. “We don’t know exactly what happened, and it has been difficult to get clear answers,” the 33-year-old aerospace engineer said.
“My parents have already paid a £3,000 deposit for her care, but the costs continue to rise,” she wrote on the GoFundMe page for Ms Surcombe. Thousands more are needed for essential tests, scans, and medications.
Yall may remember as Ashley Mariee gaming but now as just Ashley. She needs help! Her family is raising money to bring her back home after she is stable! https://t.co/stTSOuCanV
— 🇲🇽Ana misses techno🐷🎗️🇲🇽 (@Ana4evalove) March 26, 2025
Speaking to The Times, she said: “I keep alternating between breaking down and trying to help my parents. It’s heartbreaking because she’s my little sister, and I just want her back home.”
Authorities in Seoul have confirmed that there were no signs of forced entry into Ms Surcombe’s apartment, adding to the uncertainty about what led to her condition. The family is desperate for answers as they try to piece together the circumstances that led to her hospitalisation.
“We just don’t know what happened and we are trying to find out exactly, but it’s been difficult, and we have had to rely on contacts out there,” Kat Surcombe told MailOnline.
“We were supposed to speak with her at 8pm on Sunday (Korean time) but she never answered, and we didn’t get any response from messages so that’s when we called police through a friend of my dad who has contacts out there.
“About a week ago she told us she hit her head against the door and got a nasty bruise on her eye.”
She continued: “She was found unresponsive and unconscious on the floor; she didn’t have any broken bones, but she was severely dehydrated and has major organ failure.
“Her blood sugar levels are very low and when we spoke with her on Saturday, she seemed confused, and you could barely see her lips she was so dehydrated.
I don't know what to say other than help if you can. I played quite a few video games with @AshleyMarieeS https://t.co/CiuZcmJruu
— BebopVox (@BebopVox) March 26, 2025
“When they heard back that she was in hospital it was just horrible as we felt so helpless and so far away.”
The big sister added: “I am also really worried about my parents; they have just retired, and this has the potential to financially ruin them.”
The British content creator was born in Cyprus in March 1996, and gained popularity through her YouTube gaming channel, AshleyMarieGaming, particularly for Minecraft content, according to the game’s fan page. In 2017, she slowly moved away from the gaming content and veered more towards fashion and travel content.
She also reportedly has lived in multiple places across the UK and has two sisters, Kat and a non-identical twin, Tara. A cursory glance at her social media shows that she had a keen interest in, and was deeply invested in Korean pop culture.
There was an outpouring of support for the Surcombe family and the influencer. One supporter posted a GoFundMe page for Ms Surcombe and wrote on X: “I don’t know what to say other than help if you can. I played quite a few video games with @AshleyMarieeS.”
The family hopes to raise £50,000 for Ms Surcombe’s treatment and, at the time of writing, has collected £11,638.
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