Groom-to-Be, 33, with ‘Heart of Gold’ Died Suddenly While Swimming with Turtles During Boys’ Trip in Greece

A woman is mourning her fiancé after he died less than a year after they got engaged during a boys’ trip to Greece.
Silvana Bernardes said her fiancé, Cameron Wallace, was vacationing in Zante with a friend when he became unresponsive shortly after entering the water during a boat excursion on Aug. 18, according to Kennedy News and Media.
The 33-year-old’s friend reportedly pulled him from the water and performed CPR before getting him back to shore, where others attempted to help. Cameron later died before reaching the hospital.

“It’s heartbreaking to lose him. It was so unexpected for me and his family,” Bernardes, 34, said, per the outlet.
Cameron Wallace.Kennedy News and Media
Bernardes, who lives in Exeter, England, said she and Cameron had been together for more than a decade and shared a home, adding, “then everything crashed.”
Cameron had traveled to Greece on Aug. 17 for a five-day getaway with a friend after recently losing his job, according to Bernardes.
She said her fiancé was struggling emotionally after the setback, and his friend offered to take him away for a break.
“His friend went over to Greece and said, ‘I can see you’ve been going through this, so I’ll pay for the flights and pay everything,’ ” she recalled.

The following morning, Bernardes became concerned when she couldn’t reach Cameron.
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“I hadn’t heard from him since Tuesday morning and his mom messaged and said, ‘Have you heard [from him]?’ We both hadn’t heard and were both really worried,” she said.
“I woke up and for some reason I felt like something was wrong,” she continued. “His friend called and said, ‘I don’t know how to say this, something bad’s happened.’ “
Bernardes said she immediately feared the worst.
“I had a bad feeling. I just started screaming and saying, ‘No,’ and he said, ‘Cameron died,’ and I hung up the phone and just cried and sobbed,” she recalled.
Cameron Wallace (left) and Silvana Bernardes (right).Kennedy News and Media
After calling Cameron’s friend back, Bernardes learned more about what had happened. “They’d had lunch and a few drinks but nothing too much and then he went on a boat trip to find some turtles,” she said.
“Within a couple of seconds of being in the water, his friend noticed that he wasn’t responsive and was floating next to him,” Bernardes continued.
She said Cameron’s friend brought him onto his back and began CPR on the boat before getting him to shore, where lifeguards took over. “When they were doing CPR on the beach, he kind of got rid of some water and was really shallow breathing,” she recalled.
However, Cameron died before arriving at the hospital, according to Bernardes.
“It’s just terrible,” she said. “He went there to have a nice time and take his mind off things and then this terrible thing happened.”
The cause of Cameron’s death has not yet been determined.
Cameron Wallace.Kennedy News and Media
Bernardes said Cameron had experienced a seizure several months earlier, just two days after beginning a new job as a water company team leader. He was hospitalized following the seizure, she said, and doctors initially believed stress may have played a role but scheduled an MRI as a precaution.
Cameron later began experiencing panic attacks and difficulty sleeping; he was prescribed sleeping medication and antidepressants, according to Bernardes. He also met with a neurologist on Aug. 12 and was awaiting additional testing when he traveled to Greece.
Bernardes said she doesn’t know whether those health concerns were connected to his death.
“We have been considering whether his death was due to the seizure. Did his heart just stop? Did he have a panic attack or a stroke?” she said.
“We were still waiting for another test, so maybe that was the reason why. We just don’t know,” Bernardes added.
She said having an explanation would provide some sense of closure as she tries to process the loss.
She added that one of the most painful parts has been that Cameron died abroad, leaving his loved ones without the chance to say goodbye.
“It’s difficult. I wasn’t even able to be there,” she said. “I think that was the worst bit for the family and everyone. We didn’t have a last second with him or anything.”
Silvana Bernardes (left) and Cameron Wallace (right).Kennedy News and Media
Cameron’s body remained in Greece as arrangements were being made to return him to the U.K. Silvana said she hoped Cameron’s body would be brought home within five to 10 days.
“It will mean a lot for me and family and friends to give him his send-off and bring him home,” she said.
The couple met online in 2016 and became engaged during a trip to Colombia in December 2025. They had been planning to marry in Vietnam in May 2028.
Now, Bernardes is trying to imagine a future without the person who had been at the center of her life for years.
“I’m on my own and have to rebuild my life and I don’t know how really. I don’t know what my life’s going to look like,” she said.