A beauty consultant who lost her job at M&S for repeatedly being late has pleaded for it back – after tests revealed epilepsy was causing her to oversleep.

Kelin Tevfik says bosses at the city centre store told her they were letting her go because of her poor timekeeping.

But doctors have since discovered the 22-year-old was suffering epileptic seizures in her sleep.

A consultant neurologist has confirmed the findings, and even sent a letter to the high street giant questioning the decision to let Miss Tevfik go.

Explaining that she had been suffering seizures in her sleep, Dr Neil Munro wrote: “I felt you would wish to know this because it seems that the circumstances of her dismissal may have been irregular.

“She has now been put on treatment with an 80% chance that she will become seizure free.”

"It was nothing to do with not wanting to go into work. It was the first job I’ve had which I really enjoyed" - Kelin Tevfik

Miss Tevfik, of Pine Tree Avenue, Canterbury, was thrilled after landing a job as an assistant on the store’s beauty counter last June.

But in October she was told she would not be kept on after a probationary period, with her repeated lateness cited as the reason.

She had already been given a warning by bosses, but could not explain why she struggled to get out of bed so much.

“I couldn’t understand why I felt so drained and I would have to go back to sleep, often for hours and hours,” she said.

“The symptoms first started some months back. It felt like a cold and I would shiver, shudder and jolt without warning. It was quite uncontrolled and would wake me up.

“It was nothing to do with not wanting to go into work. It was the first job I’ve had which I really enjoyed, because make-up is something I have a passion for.

“I explained that I couldn’t help being late and that I had been to the doctor about it but was given a warning.

“I had another meeting and was told in October that they couldn’t keep me on, but at the time I was still waiting for an appointment with the consultant.”

Miss Tevfik underwent a series of tests, including an ECG and a MRI scan, and the diagnosis was confirmed by Dr Munro on November 11.

She said: “Now the medication is really helping to control and reduce the symptoms.

“I have had an appeal meeting with managers but have not heard anything back for months.”

A spokesman for M&S said it did not comment on individual employee cases.