Gemma Collins: Ex-TOWIE star's weight-loss drug Instagram advert banned as watchdog cracks down
Reality TV star Gemma Collins has had an advert on her Instagram banned by the Advertisting Standards Agency (ASA) after she promoted prescription-only weight-loss medication to more than two million followers.
The advertising watchdog has said that Gemma’s advert for the weight-loss drug provider Yazen breading the advertising code as it promoted prescription-only medication. The ASA warned in December 2024 that prescription-only weight-loss drug “must not be promoted to the public”
In Gemma’s advert, posted on January 6, she told her followers: “I’m starting this year two sizes down, thanks to Yazen’s weight loss app and medication. It’s really quick and easy to get started with Yazen, it has absolutely changed my life… I finally found something that actually I lose weight on.
“All you need to do is download the app and answer a few quick questions about your goals. Do not buy it from anyone but Yazen.”
She added in the video post: “I feel healthier, I feel happier. I don't have that constant noise in my head ‘you need to eat, you need to eat’ […] Yes, there's, you know, reports and stuff. And I'm not telling anyone to go on this medication, but it is prescribed on the NHS.”
The advert received two complaints which argued that the former The Only Way Is Essex star was promoting prescription-only drugs in a clear breach of ASA rules.
Yazen has said that the post was intended to share information about the company’s “holistic, responsible approach to weight loss”, adding that the star’s post had not been intended to focus on the medication itself.
Gemma accepted the ASA’s ruling and said she took her responsibilities seriously when making adverts online. She added that Yazen would approve any future marketing material she may post to be in line with the ASA code and, in agreement with the company, has since edited the original post to remove any reference to prescription-only drugs.
There were similar rulings against eight other adverts in the ASA’s crackdown on adverts for prescription-only drugs. These included adverts for pharmacyonline.co.uk, HealthExpress.co.uk, Juniper UK, Cloud Pharmacy, Phlo Clinic, SemaPen, and CheqUp.
CheqUP were pulled by by the ASA after an advert for prescription-only weight-loss medication appeared online with the caption: “No GP or pharmacy visit, just a 2 minute online consultation.”
The company had argued that they believed the ad had been in line with the industry standard for the product in the weight-loss sector, but accepted the ruling and assured the ASA it would not appear again.