The Salt Path author 'wrote secret first book' despite winning £10k debut writer prize for controversial memoir
The author repeatedly claimed The Salt Path was her debut release, and it even went on to win her a £10,000 prize for a first-time writer
The Salt Path author Raynor Winn published a book in 2012 despite repeatedly claiming the controversial 2018 memoir, which won her a £10,000 debut writer’s award, was the first she had ever written.
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Winn’s best selling memoir tells the story of she and her husband Moth, who decided to walk the South West Coast Path after losing their home and him being diagnosed with a degenerative brain condition.
It was later turned into a film starring Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson.
The author had repeatedly claimed it was her debut release, and it even went on to win her the Christopher Bland Prize in 2019 which had a £10,000 reward.
The Royal Society of Literature's website states the accolade is "an annual award of £10,000 for a debut novelist or non-fiction writer first published in any form aged 50 or over".
But her lawyers told the Secrets of the Salt Path podcast she secretly wrote another book six years earlier under the alias Izzy Wyn-Thomas.
It was published by a company she owned with her husband and was later sold as part of a prize draw to win their north Wales home.
This appears to directly contradict her claim The Salt Path was "the first thing I've written since I was a teenager leaving school – the first thing," she told Waterstones in 2020.
The revelation comes after concerns were cast over the story Wynn tells in The Salt Path about her husband Moth’s diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration (CBD).
The loss of their home has been linked to legal troubles and accusations of embezzlement.
PSPA, a charity dedicated to helping sufferers of CBD, has cut ties with the author and her husband.
A spokesman for the PSPA said: “We were shocked and disappointed to learn of the allegations made about Raynor and Moth Winn.
"Raynor and Moth worked with many individuals and organisations since their first book was published, including PSPA.
“We received the family’s need for support, and desire to raise awareness of PSP and CBD in good faith.
“Whilst we are thankful for the awareness opportunities their story has provided; too many questions currently remain unanswered.“Therefore, we have made the decision to terminate our relationship with the family.”
The Observer newspaper first published allegations surrounding the story, and neurologists voiced doubts about his diagnosis, questioning how long he has lived with the disease and his ability to take part in long walks.
Winn has branded the claims made by the newspaper as "highly misleading" adding: "The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey."
The Salt Path author said the allegations have been "heartbreaking" and left the pair "devastated".She branded the accusations "vile" and "heinous" as she revealed what she claimed were "excerpts from two clinic letters, showing he is treated for CBD/S and has been for many years".
Winn wrote on Instagram: "The last few days have been some of the hardest of my life."Heart breaking accusations that Moth has made up his illness have been made leaving us devastated.
"To combat these vile and heinous accusations, with Moth’s permission, and on the advice of his neurologist, I am releasing excerpts from three clinic letters, showing he is treated for CBD/S and has been for many years.
"This is deeply personal information that no-one should ever be forced to share, but we feel we have no choice in the face of this unbelievably hurtful false narrative."
The redacted sections are for the personal privacy of Moth and the doctors involved."
She posted a full statement on her website.