The 'new' Elizabeth Holmes has abandoned her 'weird' deep voice

Convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes wants people to call her 'Liz' after abandoning her deep voice and techy turtlenecks following the fall of her company, Theranos.

The disgraced CEO, 39, has spoken out in a bid to rehabilitate her image, following a last-minute appeal that's meant she's avoided starting her more-than 11-year prison sentence for conning investors in the science and tech world out of millions. 

In interviews and TED Talks from when Holmes was at the top of her game, talking to the world's media about her 'revolutionary' scientific discovery, she spoke in a deep, terse tone.

But in the May 7 profile by the New York Times, Holmes claimed she built a persona that was not 'authentic' when trying to promote Theranos and become heralded as an innovator.

She said she is not actually the kind of person that would wear black turtlenecks, red lipstick and use an authoritative voice.

Instead, Holmes now portrayed herself as a loving mother-of-two who wears a 'bucket hat and sunglasses' and enjoys walks around the San Diego Zoo. 

Elizabeth Holmes 'Liz' Holmes

Elizabeth Holmes, pictured left in her heyday in 2014, spoke with a terse, deep voice. But now she wants to go by Liz after being found guilty of fraud. She's pictured right in court in 2022

In the feature, the NYT reporter who spent time with Holmes said: 'In case you’re wondering, Ms. Holmes speaks in a soft, slightly low, but totally unremarkable voice, no hint of the throaty contralto she used while running her defunct blood-testing start-up Theranos.' 

And she said that even her partner Billy Evans admits that the voice was 'real weird.' 

Holmes said that ex-Theranos COO Ramesh 'Sunny' Balwani forced her to adopt the black turtleneck, red lipstick persona. She said: 'He always told me I needed to "kill Elizabeth" so I could become a good entrepreneur.' 

His lawyers have denied the claims.  

Detailing how 'down to earth' she supposedly is, Holmes shared how she and Evans, were sleeping in campgrounds and at Walmart parking lots for half the year in 2019.

She also told how she spent some of the past year volunteering at a rape crisis center in an attempt to portray herself in a more relatable light whilst defending her actions while promoting her future as a health-tech innovator.

Federal court documents submitted by Holmes ahead of her sentencing showed the conwoman and Evans enjoying their trip, which appears to span much of the lower 48 states.

Speaking of Theranos, Holmes acknowledged she made numerous mistakes due to her lack of knowledge and understanding at the time.

But the New York Times is now being slammed online for its favorable portrayal of the mother-of-two who scammed people out of millions of dollars as she promoted a blood testing service that never actually worked.

In interviews from her heyday, Elizabeth Holmes spoke with a deep voice - which she now admits was put on

In interviews from her heyday, Elizabeth Holmes spoke with a deep voice - which she now admits was put on

Holmes looked comfy and casual wearing an all-black designer Alo sweat suit, sandals, and an oversized straw hat She carried her newborn in her arms, covering her with a swaddling blanket

Holmes looked comfy and casual wearing an all-black designer Alo sweat suit, sandals, and an oversized straw hat. She carried her newborn in her arms, covering her with a swaddling blanket

Barefoot Elizabeth Holmes enjoys her last few days of freedom in San Diego, CA, with her boyfriend Billy Evans and children William and Invicta

Barefoot Elizabeth Holmes enjoys her last few days of freedom in San Diego, CA, with her boyfriend Billy Evans and children William and Invicta

Elizabeth Holmes sits in court to be sentenced on her convictions for defrauding investors in the blood testing startup at the federal courthouse in San Jose, California, November 18, 2022

Elizabeth Holmes sits in court to be sentenced on her convictions for defrauding investors in the blood testing startup at the federal courthouse in San Jose, California, November 18, 2022

Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on November 18, 2022 in San Jose, California

Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on November 18, 2022 in San Jose, California

Holmes said when District Judge Edward J. Davilla set a date for her criminal fraud trial in 2019, she and Evans spent six months traveling around the United States in an RV while prosecutors worked to convict her.

'Even though that period was a crisis, and Theranos was my life and like my child, I gave everything I had to it,' she said.

Once it was gone, though, 'I also became free.'

And, speaking of her relationship with Evans, Holmes said, 'Finding your person in the middle of all of this and experiencing that love when you're going through hell is the most beautiful thing I've ever experienced.'

She was named as one of Forbes' 400 in 2014

She was named as one of Forbes' 400 in 2014

She had previously claimed her former partner and ex-Theranos COO Ramesh 'Sunny' Balwani physically and emotionally abused her, and disclosed that she had been a victim of sexual assault during her time at Stanford University.

Those experiences, she said, prompted her to start volunteering at a rape crisis hotline.

Holmes also acknowledged in the interviews that she made 'so many mistakes,' claiming 'there was so much I didn't know and understand, and I feel like when you do it wrong, it's like you really internalize it in a deep way.

Still, she said, the company could have changed the health care industry for good if it had actually worked as she thought.

Her so-called Edison machine had promised to be able to test a tiny amount of blood in minutes to detect dozens of medical issues.

Banking on this promise, pharmacy giant Walgreens decided to partner with Theranos to offer in-store blood collection centers.

By 2014 the company was said to be worth $9 billion and Forbes ranked Holmes as the youngest self-made billionaire in the world.

But the following year the exhaustive investigation by WSJ, it was claimed Theranos's system provided false reports and revealed the company had been using commercially available machines from other companies for most of its testing.

Lawsuits started flooding in and Theranos collapsed in scandal, eventually shuttering in 2018. Holmes was then convicted in January 2022 on four counts of fraud and conspiracy.

'We would've seen through our vision,' she insists and reveals she is even working on new inventions.

The Times describes Holmes view as 'idealistic delusion'.

'I still dream about being able to contribute in that space,' Holmes said. 'I still feel the same calling to it as I always did and I still think the need is there.'

Holmes has been accused of getting pregnant in order to get a lighter sentence and avoid prison time. 

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