British influencer Brittany Miller has broken her silence, issuing a tearful statement after faking a cancer diagnosis.
The 29-year-old shared a video with her over three million followers on TikTok, apologising to fans who were affected by cancer following major backlash online.
In the video, she explained that in 2017 she had been suffering from "extremely bad mental health" and was "depressed and suicidal, and confused".
She went on to say that "lots of things led me to being mentally ill", including the loss of her partner and job.
The lifestyle TikToker admitted she "deeply regretted" telling one friend in confidence that she "had an illness".
Brittany stressed she didn't lie for "malicious intent or to scam people."
She went on to say: "I did it to keep the people in my life close to me.
"I don’t condone it, I understand why I did it, and I’ve learned from my mistakes.
"This was not a long-running scam."
According to Brittany, some of her friends then set up a fundraising page in her name, however, she claims to have had it immediately taken down once she saw that donations had been made.
She went on: "I’ve grown from this.
"I am working on being the best version of myself. It took me a long time to understand why I did it, and I forgive myself, because I was mentally ill.
"And I am so deeply sorry to anyone whom I have triggered, for saying what I said.
"This was years before I was on social media. I didn’t do this for likes or followers.
"I know how horrible this disease is, and I am so, so sorry. I admitted what I did and I said sorry to the people that I hurt."
Brittany continued: "I am mentally well again," before adding, "I am so proud of where I am now after being in that dark place."
Police have since confirmed that Brittany was convicted of the crime she committed: fraud by false representation.
Back in July 2020, Brittany was issued a conditional discharge for 12 months, as well as having to pay compensation and costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
It is understood that her criminal record will no longer show up on basic checks.
Many people are showing their support for Brittany in her comment section.
One person wrote: "You were young. You’re an adult now, a mother, a partner. You’re allowed to grow from this. And you have. Others that are doing and saying things are mad, you’re doing just that! Keep shining."
"It takes someone a lot to apologise, and own up to mistakes," another comment read.
However, not everyone is equally pleased with her video admission.
"Brittany lied to us all, not just her friends but also her followers online.
"Now people are following her, and they have no idea what she is really like.
"Yes, it happened years ago, but lying about cancer is really wrong," one source told The Sun.
Brittany has built a successful career for herself on social media.
Her videos often feature her dishing up huge meals or showing her followers shopping hauls.
Brittany has accumulated 3.5 million followers on TikTok.
