A mum-of-five has become the first Brit to die following a ‘liquid Brazilian Bum Lift (BBL)’ procedure. Two people have now been arrested as detectives investigate Alice Delsie Preete Webb’s death.
The 33-year-old beauty therapist died on Monday just hours after having the celebrity-style procedure which is believed to have been performed in the West Country – making her the first to die from it in the UK.
Different to the surgical procedure, the ‘liquid’ BBL is classed as ‘non-invasive’ and uses a dermal filler product rather than using a person’s own body fat, so it doesn’t require incisions or typically leave scars.
Similar ‘liquid’ BBL procedures can be found listed online for the likes of £2,500 a pop and can take just 60 minutes to perform.
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It is reported by the Mirror that Webb’s treatment was allegedly performed by an unqualified practitioner without medical training.
A Gloucestershire Police spokesman said: "Two people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of a woman in her 30s in Gloucester. Police had been called by the ambulance service at around 11.35pm on Monday (23 September) with a report a woman had become unwell following a suspected cosmetic procedure.
"She was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and died in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Her next of kin and the coroner are aware. The woman's family are being supported by specially trained officers.
"An investigation, led by the Major Crime Investigation Team, is ongoing. The two people who had been arrested have been released on police bail. We can also confirm the woman who died is 33-year-old Alice Webb."
Alice’s friend Abi Irwin described the woman as a ‘beautiful person inside and out’.
Confirming her death, she said: “Alice passed away on Monday evening after having a BBL treatment which has gone wrong. [She] had the biggest heart, her family was her world - it is a difficult and heartbreaking time for them all."
Ashton Collins of Save Face, the UK’s top Government-backed register for medical aesthetic treatments added to the Mirror: “I am devastated to hear of Alice's tragic passing. We launched a campaign in December 2023 calling upon the government to take urgent action to ban these procedures. We made it absolutely clear, that without urgent intervention someone would die - It makes me incredibly sad and angry that today, our fear has been confirmed and a family has been shattered.
"Liquid BBL procedures are a crisis waiting to happen. They are advertised on social media as 'risk-free', 'cheaper' alternatives to the surgical counterpart and that could not be further from the truth."
Jess Battison