Influencer who lied about having cancer tearfully apologises to her millions of followers

A British influencer has shared a tearful apology for lying about having cancer in 2017.

Brittany Miller, 29, took to TikTok to reveal her "truth" to her 3.5 million followers, holding back tears as she explained the decision she made eight years ago.

"Back in 2017, I had extremely bad mental health and at the time I didn't realise how bad, but it was bad," Miller explained.

"I was depressed, I was suicidal, I was lost, I was confused.

"I'd lost my partner, I'd lost my job, and there were lots of things in that year that led me to be mentally ill."

She went on to say she told someone in her circle about the cancer out of "desperation" to keep her friends "close to her."

"One stupid sentence that I deeply regret," she said.

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"I said I had an illness, which was cancer."

She explained this was years before she was active on social media..

Miller said she did not fake having the illness during her social media fame, nor did she use it to gain fame, likes or engagement.

She added that a fundraising page was set up at the time by one of her friends, and she "immediately shut it down" after two donations were made, explaining she "didn't take a penny from it."

"This was not a long running scam or a manilulative story like it's been made out to be, the people that I told then told a couple of others," she said.

"I did this out of desperation, I did it to keep the people close to me... to keep the people in my life close to me," Miller added, insisting she doesn't "condone it."

"I forgive myself because I was mentally ill, and I am so deeply sorry to anyone that I've upset or triggered from saying what I said," she added.

"I know how horrible this disease is, and I know how much it affects people, so for that I am so, so sorry."

Miller went on to say that she moved out of her hometown the year following the lie to try and feel "mentally well" again, and surrounded herself with people "that were going to help me."

She praised her partner, Ash Griffiths, for his help through her mental health battles, adding: "I am mentally well again, and I'm so proud of [how far] I've come. From being in that dark place, to now.

"If I could go back and change what I did, I would do it in a heartbeat. It was one stupid sentence that I said almost a decade ago, and I've learnt so much from it."

"I'm so, so grateful for you all, and I really, really love you so, so much," she ended the video saying.

If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue or in the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).

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