Popular TikTok creator Brittany Miller is expressing how “so sorry” she is over a cancer diagnosis lie that has dogged her for years.
The 29-year-old British social media star posted an emotional video on Monday, days after a years-old fundraising campaign that claimed she’d been diagnosed with gastric cancer sparked new backlash online.
Miller admitted to lying about the diagnosis in the clip, saying it came from “one stupid sentence that I deeply regret.”
@brittanyhmiller
“I said something to someone within my immediate circle in confidence. I said I had an illness, which was cancer,” she tearfully confessed. “I didn’t do this with malicious intent or to scam people. I did this out of desperation, I did it to keep the people in my life close to me.”
According to Miller, the incident took place in 2017 when she had “extremely bad mental health,” describing herself as depressed and suicidal. Shortly thereafter, a fundraising page was set up on her behalf by the person she lied to, who “then told a couple of others.”
The mother of twin boys — who has since gained popularity for content on parenting, home cooking and online shopping — denied in the video that she ever tried to steal anyone’s money or gain fame with her deception.
“As soon as I saw there was donations — there was two donations — I had the page immediately shut down,” she said.
It’s unclear how much money the crowdfunding campaign brought in, though Miller claimed she “didn’t take a penny from it.”
She said that while she “understand[s] why” she lied, she doesn’t condone her actions and has learned from her mistakes.
“I know how horrible this disease is and I know how much it affects people, so for that I am so, so sorry,” she added.
Miller’s admission came not long after U.K. media outlets reported for the first time last week that she’d been convicted in 2020 of fraud by false representation. She reportedly received a 12-month conditional discharge and was forced to pay compensation and costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Her apology video, which garnered more than 7 million views as of Tuesday, also came more than two years after social media users first started questioning her story.
