Katie Price has been warned that her promotion of CBD oil in connection with claims it helped shrink a two-year-old’s tumour will be looked into by trading standards, months after the controversy first erupted.
Back in April, the former glamour model, 47, shared a video of herself in conversation with boxer Anthony Fowler and his wife Serena about their daughter Roma, who had a tumour in her leg.
In the clip, Katie suggested that CBD oil had reduced its size, telling viewers the parents had shown her ‘before and after’ pictures.
‘Your daughter, on her leg and she took this. What was it she had a tumour? They’ve shown me the pictures of before and after from using CBD where it shrunk it all,’ she said.
In the caption, Katie described it as a ‘very serious chat’ and wrote that the couple had ‘refused hospital treatment and healed her themselves which is amazing.’
She also shared a 40% discount code for the CBD oil brand owned by Roma’s parents, promoting it for fibromyalgia, arthritis, anxiety, depression, aches, pains, and insomnia.
The post sparked immediate backlash, with critics accusing Katie of making dangerous and unproven medical claims about a serious illness.
Commenters branded the claims ‘abhorrent’, ‘desperate’ and ‘dangerous’, warning that suggesting CBD could cure or shrink tumours risked misleading vulnerable families.
Now, Liverpool City Council has confirmed it is assessing the matter. When contacted for comment by Metro, a spokesperson said: ‘All businesses and traders are required to check that they are not in breach of trading standards. We will look into the matter and take appropriate action if needed.’
In addition, The Sun has reported that Katie’s post – as well as other Instagram adverts featuring Supreme CBD and Katie – have now been passed onto Westminster Trading Standards by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which received the initial complaints about the posts.
An ASA spokesperson told the publication: ‘We’ve received a small number of complaints about Supreme CBD and Katie Price‘s ads. I’ve spoken to our compliance team and they’ve confirmed that Supreme CBD has now been referred to Trading Standards. Trading Standards acts as our legal “backstop.”‘
‘In parallel, our compliance team is continuing to assess what further action may be appropriate, in regards to this advertiser, including engagement with relevant platforms where necessary.’
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a compound derived from cannabis that does not produce a psychoactive ‘high’.
In the UK, it is commonly sold as a supplement and marketed for issues such as pain relief and relaxation. However, it is not approved as a cancer treatment.
What have medical experts said?
Medical experts were quick to push back against the claims in April. Skin cancer specialist Dr Emily Alfonsi previously told Metro there is ‘currently no scientific or clinical evidence’ that CBD oil can cure tumours or cancer in humans.
‘Misinformation, especially when it involves serious illnesses like cancer, can be harmful, and celebrities should know better,’ she said at the time, adding that no regulatory body endorses CBD oil as a replacement for conventional cancer therapies.
Health professionals continue to urge anyone considering alternative treatments to speak to qualified medical teams and rely on evidence-based guidance from organisations such as the NHS and Cancer Research UK.
The controversy follows Katie’s recent shock marriage to Lee Andrews.
The reality TV star shocked everyone earlier this year when she got engaged to entrepreneur Lee in Dubai, mere days after meeting, marking her ninth engagement.
And in the same week, the new couple tied the knot, with Katie reportedly blindsiding her loved ones, who had no idea it was happening and who had not met her fourth husband.
The wedding also came just weeks after Katie’s split from Married At First Sight star JJ Slater, whom she dated for two years, having reportedly been unable to see a future with him.
Katie has been with Lee this week after he claimed he stayed behind in Dubai after the quickie wedding to ‘house hunt’ for the two of them.
Since reuniting, they’ve shared plenty of content on Instagram, with one of Katie’s best pals in showbiz, Kerry Katona, also flying out to meet her new man.
If Katie is facing any legal repercussions regarding her promotion of the CBD oil, she has not yet commented publicly on the matter.
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