Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A British content creator who was convicted of fraud for pretending that she had been diagnosed with cancer has issued a tearful apology on social media.
TikTok influencer Brittany Miller, 29, admitted that she lied about being diagnosed with stage three gastric cancer in 2017.
At the time, the mum-of-two from Oxfordshire claimed to be in hospital receiving radiotherapy treatment, as reported by The Sun, with a fundraising page also being set up.
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According to The Tab, the crowdfunding page vanished from the internet and wasn't mentioned again. In 2020, however, a woman claiming to be her former best friend spoke out and claimed it was all fabricated, and Brittany was accused of a crime.
She received a 12-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay compensation to the Crown Prosecution Service for fraud by false representation.
Addressing the controversy for the first time, Brittany, who has 3.5 million followers on TikTok, posted an apology on the platform yesterday (10 November).
In a tearful video, she explained how she used to have 'really bad mental health and I didn’t realise how bad but it was bad'.
“I was depressed, I was suicidal, I was lost and I was confused. I’d lost my partner, I’d lost my job and there was lots of things in that year that led me to be mentally ill,” she explained.
In a bid to keep her loved ones closer to her, Brittany lied about having cancer, a move she 'deeply regrets'.
Although the creator insisted that it was not a long-running scam or a manipulative story like it’s been made out to be.
“The people that I told then told a couple of others and there was a fundraising page made on behalf of me, which I knew about,” she added.
“As soon as I saw it had donations — it had two donations — I had it taken down. I didn’t take a penny from it.
“I forgive myself because I was mentally ill and I am so deeply sorry to anyone who I have upset or triggered with what I’ve said.”
Brittany said that she 'did this out of desperation, to keep the people in my life close to me', and 'I know how much it affects people, so for that, I am so, so sorry'.
She credits her fiancè, Ash Griffiths, with whom she shares identical twins, for helping her get to a better place.
"He was my light at the end of the tunnel. He helped me be well again and forgive myself," Brittany explained. "I am now mentally well again and am so proud of how far I’ve come. I want to now be an advocate for mental health too."
LADbible Group has approached Brittany Miller for comment.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58, and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.
Topics: Cancer, TikTok, Health, Mental Health, Crime
Anish Vij