Five years after a scandal that broke the internet, TikTok influencer Brittany Miller has finally spoken out about the time she faked having cancer.
Back in 2017, the Oxfordshire-born creator claimed she had been diagnosed with stage three gastric cancer โ a lie that would later see her convicted of fraud, when ย a close friend revealed what happened in 2020.
These days, Brittany is better known for her Temu hauls, roast potato tutorials, and life as a mum to twin boys, Elijah and Emiliano. The 29-year-old has over 500,000 followers on Instagram and 3.5 million on TikTok, with a fiercely loyal community.
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However, allegations have emerged that back in 2017 when Brittany was 21 โ before starting her influencer journey โ she claimed she had been diagnosed with stage 3 gastric cancer. At the time, friends and family set up a crowdfunding page to support her financially. But, the cancer claim quickly vanished. No trace of it remained online, and it wasnโt mentioned again.
It wasnโt until late 2020, when Brittany collaborated with a breast cancer awareness charity, that her former best friend decided to speak out โ claiming that the whole thing had been fabricated.
In July 2020, Brittany received a conditional discharge for 12 months and was ordered to pay compensation and costs to the Crown Prosecution Service for fraud by false representation. Oxfordshire Police have confirmed the conviction to The Tab, and revealed that the five-year-old case is now closed.
Reports indicate that Brittany first lied about having cancer in 2017, shortly before the JustGiving page was launched. The exact amount raised is unknown, but the page was reportedly deleted soon after the false claim.
A former friend, speaking anonymously to The Sun, claimed Brittany had set up the JustGiving page herself and asked friends to circulate it. They said: โBrittany lied to us all โ not just her friends but also her followers online. Now people are following her and they have no idea what she is really like.โ
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In a recent TikTok video, her fiancรฉ Ash Kooner responded to a comment, writing: โBrittany will speak when sheโs ready. Her story is amazing and she has become the most incredible woman.โ
Yesterday evening, Brittany finally published the long-awaited apology video. In the video, she says that her poor mental health was to blame for the scandal, and that she has come a long way since: โBack in 2017, I had extremely bad mental health, and at the time I didnโt realize how bad, but it was bad.
โI was depressed, I was suicidal, I was lost, I was confused. I lost my partner, I lost my job and there was lots of things in that year that led me to be mentally ill.โ
She said that she โdid this out of desperation, to keep the people in my life close to meโ, and โI know how much it affects people, so for that, I am so, so sorryโ.
The Tab has reached out to a representative for Brittany Miller for comment.
Featured image credit: Instagram/@brittanyhmillerrr
