A host of reality TV stars turned social media influencers have been caught promoting a fake diet drink containing cyanide.
Lauren Goodger, Mike Hassini and Zara Holland – who have a combined 1.3 million followers – from the UK were secretly filmed auditioning to promote the poisonous ‘Cyanora’ diet drink as part of a BBC investigation into influencers by Irish comedian Blindboy Boatclub.
“We were very transparent,” Blindboy said in the documentary.
“The product was clearly labelled hydrogen cyanide, and we wanted to see if they would consider selling it to their fans… which would kill them.”
The influencers were told the product wasn’t being launched for a few months and that they would not be able to try the drink until it was released to market.
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But this didn’t dissuade the social media stars from ‘auditioning’ for the promotion gig.
Goodger, who was filmed alongside her manager, admitted she had never tried the ‘Skinny Coffee’ product which she previously promoted to her followers.
Her manager confessed it was industry practice for influencers to promote products they had never tried.
“Half of these posts you see … they’ve not even tried it,” she said.
Despite the damning evidence, Goodger still defended her comments, telling The Sun Online they were made in ‘the heat of the moment’.
“I was asked to read a script which I did to screen test me for the job. This script was given to me at that precise moment,” she said.
“No deals were signed and it was an audition. As with any audition you people please and say what they want to hear.
“They asked me would I promote the drink without using it. In the heat of the moment I said yes and also said I hadn’t tried Skinny Coffee in the hope of getting the job.
“Of course I would never promote anything that contains poison and proper checks would have been made before any promotion.”
Former Love Island star Zara Holland [feature image] initially told the fake promoters she would be happy to promote the product without trying it, before her agent interjected to say she wouldn’t promote it without trying it.
Similarly Mike Hassini, who once appeared on The Only Way Is Essex, agreed to promote Cyanora on his Instagram.
