Waterloo Road and star once faced controversy with an ad of hers being “banned” from the UK. The star had been showcasing her weight loss journey when the commercial was deemed to be “unsafe” and taken off air back in 2014.
The was said to have been losing more than 2lb (around 900g) a week when following a fitness regime, created by LighterLife. The brand’s social media page published before and after images of the actress, with the caption: “Denise lost two stone in just two months.”
However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said a rate of weight loss greater than 2lb a week was “unlikely to be compatible with good medical and nutritional practice.” They determined that the advert must not appear again in its current form.
An ASA spokesman said: “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.
“We had not seen evidence to demonstrate that the rate of loss experienced by Ms Welch was compatible with code requirements.
Denise Welch’s weight loss ad was banned in the UK (Image: Getty)
“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.”
Denise hit back at the ruling, as she disagreed and said she was “feeling better than she had in ages” while following the weight loss programme. The actress said: “The Advertising Standards people need to get out more.
“Weight loss companies are trying to help people, and yet they aren’t even allowed to tell us what they can do for us. And LighterLife has been prevented from using my weight loss before and after photos as the ASA says I lost weight too quickly.
“How can that be right, when the Foodpacks comply with all the nutritional rules, including Trading Standards, and I did exactly what I was supposed to do with them?
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Denise was losing weight at more than 2lbs per week (Image: Getty)
“I felt better than I had for ages, and those are genuine before and after pictures. Meanwhile obesity is increasing, people are dying from cancer, heart disease and diabetes and yet a brilliant solution is being kept from us.”
LighterLife medical director Dr Matt Capehorn agreed with her, as he said: “This shows just why Britain is in its current mess, with one of the biggest obesity problems on the planet.
“There is something wrong when weight loss companies are trying to help dieters, and bureaucracy gets in the way.”