Actress and Loose Women star Denise Welch found herself at the centre of controversy in 2014 when a weight loss advertisement featuring her was banned in the UK.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) deemed the commercial “unsafe” due to the rate of weight loss it promoted.
This weekend, the TV star will appear on Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted. Denise will join a team of celebs as they attempt to stay off the grid for 14 days.
The Loose Women star was embroiled in controversy after her weight loss ad was called “unsafe” (Credit: ITV)
Denise Welch worked with a weight loss company
The Loose Women star had been working with the weight loss company LighterLife, which specialises in meal replacement programs and structured plans.
As part of their promotional campaign, LighterLife shared before-and-after images of Denise.
“Denise lost two stone in just two months,” they proudly announced.
However, this claim quickly drew scrutiny.
The ASA – the UK’s advertising regulator – stepped in, declaring that the advertised weight loss rate exceeded 2lb (around 900g) per week.
“While we understood that LighterLife had given an account of the actual rate of weight loss experienced by Ms. Welch, we noted the rate advertised was greater than 2lb per week,” an ASA spokesperson explained.
“We had not seen evidence to demonstrate that the rate of loss experienced by Ms. Welch was compatible with code requirements. We told LighterLife to ensure that rates of weight loss were compatible with good medical and nutritional practice and that treatments for obesity were not advertised to the public without suitably qualified supervision.”
The ruling meant the advert could no longer air in its current form.
Denise argued that her weight loss program followed all guidelines (Credit: SplashNews)
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