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I was traumatised when I was plagued by grim ‘fart burps’ months after taking Mounjaro fat jabs
HANNAH Metcalfe caught a whiff of something very unpleasant and felt her cheeks flush red.
“It’s him, he’s farted!” she squealed, pointing at one of the burly blokes standing nearby her at the New Year’s party. But the taste in her mouth told a very different – truthful – story.
In fact, the 31-year-old knew the rotten egg smell had come from one of her own burps – an embarrassing side effect of taking weight loss jabs.
Around three months after she first started using them, she began having these horrific burps that her friends and family would often compare to the stench of farts, much to her embarrassment.
But, despite the embarrassing side effect, Hannah says the weight loss jabs were well worth the trouble, and has gone on to drop an incredible 5st 11lbs.
At her heaviest, Hannah weighed 16st 7lbs and was struggling with health concerns as a result, including back pain and muscular issues.
Ashamed by her size, she refused to pose for pictures during her own 30th birthday trip to Las Vegas, and couldn’t properly enjoy the “once in a lifetime” holiday with her mum.
At her wits end, and having had no luck with diets like Slimming World, fasting and juicing,she decided to try weight loss jab Mounjaro last September.
But while the weight started to drop off of her, the unpleasant side effect reared its head.
When people noticed the “rotten eggs” stench, Hannah was forced to blame other people for breaking wind or pretended to wonder who was responsible.
“I’m incredibly fortunate that I’ve had a great experience – but I did experience some of the weirder side effects,” the accounts assistant, from Manchester, tells Sun Health.
“I started having sulphur, rotten egg-like burps after 12 weeks.
“They didn’t have any pattern and just happened randomly, no matter what I ate.
“I remember them being really warm in my throat, and the smell was horrendous.
“Usually people would think that I’d passed wind – and weirdly that was less embarrassing to admit!
“I kept quite private [during my weight loss] as it was really embarrassing.”
Hannah – who worked with weight loss program Juniper – also experienced constipation and dizzy spells, but kept a close eye on what she was consuming throughout her weight loss.
She said: “I knew some of the side effects might occur from the information Juniper had provided me with.
“If I experienced something that I hadn’t read or seen online, my health coach provided me tips and information on what was happening, which I really liked.
What are the other side effects of weight loss jabs?
Like any medication, weight loss jabs can have side effects.
Common side effects of injections such as Ozempic include:
Nausea: This is the most commonly reported side effect, especially when first starting the medication. It often decreases over time as your body adjusts.
Vomiting: Can occur, often in conjunction with nausea.
Diarrhea: Some people experience gastrointestinal upset.
Constipation: Some individuals may also experience constipation.
Stomach pain or discomfort: Some people may experience abdominal pain or discomfort.
Reduced appetite: This is often a desired effect for people using Ozempic for weight loss.
Indigestion: Can cause a feeling of bloating or discomfort after eating.
Serious side effects can also include:
Pancreatitis: In rare cases, Ozempic may increase the risk of inflammation of the pancreas, known as pancreatitis, which can cause severe stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Kidney problems: There have been reports of kidney issues, including kidney failure, though this is uncommon.
Thyroid tumors: There’s a potential increased risk of thyroid cancer, although this risk is based on animal studies. It is not confirmed in humans, but people with a history of thyroid cancer should avoid Ozempic.
Vision problems: Rapid changes in blood sugar levels may affect vision, and some people have reported blurry vision when taking Ozempic.
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar): Especially if used with other medications like sulfonylureas or insulin.
“I never felt worried about the side effects I was experiencing.
“I was aware of the [potential] sulphur burps, so when they started, I wasn’t panicked.”
Hannah was a size 24 when she started taking Mounjaro and “unbelievably unhappy” with how she looked.
She said: “I’ve always been focused on body confidence and not being ashamed of how I looked, but so many more external factors started to nag in my head.
“I had lower back pain, and regardless of so many scans and doctors appointments to find a root cause, it all fell down to my weight, and the deterioration of my muscles not being able to support my weight.
“It was a really big shock to the system.
“I went on the holiday with my mum and I don’t have any photos of myself enjoying it, because I hated having photos taken – I still regret that, but my body confidence was shot and my mental health with it too.”
She eased her way into the medication, starting on a low dose and building up – and has seen incredible results.
Despite any strange side effects, Hannah says it has all been well worth it.
She said: “Thankfully I didn’t experience the really bad side effects that some people experience, such as sickness, which I’m grateful for – but I think that even if I did, I would still recommend it.
“I actually recommended it to my partner, and he started taking the medication and has successfully lost weight, and he’s experienced absolutely no side effects.
“I’ve lost 40cm off of my waist and feel amazing now.
“I constantly take photographs of myself and send them to my mum to show her how good I look in my new outfits.
“I also just booked a beach holiday so I can wear a bikini and get great photos of myself and how much I’ve lost.
“I’m not ashamed to look in the mirror, or try on clothes in a shop [anymore].
“But it has been a learning curve, no longer seeing myself in a big body and shrouding myself in large clothes to hide myself.
“I still find it challenging to wear fitted clothes, but when I do, people notice and compliment me and it makes me feel amazing – and worth all the money I spent and the side effects I experienced.”
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health.
Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.
Britain’s favourite ‘dadisms’ from pretending their not asleep to repeating the same joke, survey reveals
THE nations favourite ‘Dadisms’ have been revealed – with pretending they’re not asleep, just “resting their eyes”, telling the same story multiple times, and of course, dad dancing featuring on the list.
A poll of 2,000 adults found that while Brits love to moan about their dads’ cringey behaviour, three quarters wouldn’t choose to change them if they could.
Other favourites include fixing things around the house, telling corny jokes, and having a favourite chair that no one else is allowed to sit in.
Falling asleep on the sofa, saying ‘back in my day…’ or ‘when I was your age…’, and complaining about the cost of things all also got a shoutout on the list.
Despite this tendency for Dadisms, three quarters (76 per cent) claimed they don’t find this behaviour embarrassing and prefer to humour their fathers – with 62 per cent likely to laugh at their jokes even when they’re not funny.
This may be because 85 per cent partake in Dadisms themselves – with the most common including complaining about the cost of things (28 per cent), falling asleep on the sofa (25 per cent), and sending the thumbs up emoji (17 per cent).
A spokesperson from Moonpig, which commissioned the research, said: “Dads can make us laugh more than anyone else – even if this isn’t always intentional.
“And they seem to have so many universal behaviours, as if they’ve been given a manual on what makes a dad a dad.
“This Father’s Day we want to celebrate all father figures and the little quirks that make us love them so much.”
The other ingredients that make up a classic father figure were also revealed, with top traits identified as hardworking, caring, supportive, and reliable.
Dad-centric hobbies included watching football, gardening, and DIY – as well as travelling, reading, and going to the pub with his mates.
And the possessions most treasured by any fatherly figure are likely to be his car (24 per cent), toolbox (17 per cent), and family photographs (24 per cent), according to OnePoll.com data.
When asked, a higher percentage of those polled also claimed to find them unintentionally funny (25 per cent) rather than intentionally hilarious (17 per cent).
And, on average, a dad will only know 35 per cent of their kids’ friends’ names – with eight per cent not knowing any of them at all.
To celebrate the father figures in their lives, 73 per cent will celebrate Father’s Day every year – and to commemorate this day, are most likely to buy him a gift (62 per cent), a card (61 per cent), and go out for a meal (30 per cent).
The top factors that influence selecting the perfect card were also identified as humour (50 per cent), a fun and personal design (31 per cent), and a sentimental message about how great he is (30 per cent).
Interestingly, more than half (54 per cent) claimed they are more likely to buy a humorous card to celebrate their dad on Father’s Day than their mum on Mother’s Day – perhaps because 73 per cent hope to see their favourite Dadisms referenced on the cover.
Moonpig’s spokesperson added: “Our father figures can be such a source of inspiration, support, and laughter – which is why it’s so important to celebrate them every chance we get.
“A heartfelt message, inside joke, or personalised reference to the things they love on their Father’s Day card can make all the difference to letting them know how much you care.
“So this Father’s Day, take a moment to revel in those eye-roll-worthy Dadisms and the little things that make your bond so special – and say it all with a card that’s as unique as he is.”
TOP 30 FAVOURITE ‘DADISMS’
1. Fixing things around the house
2. Pretending they’re not sleeping just “resting their eyes”
3. Falling asleep on the sofa
4. Telling bad/corny jokes
5. Saying ‘back in my day…’ or ‘when I was your age…’
6. Telling the same story multiple times
7. Having a favourite chair that no one else is allowed to sit in
8. Dad dancing
9. Complaining about the cost of things
10. Complaining about what you’re watching on TV but then sitting down to watch it anyway
11. Starting conversations with strangers
12. Sending the thumbs up emoji
13. Doing a dad grunt when sitting down or standing up
14. Always coming round to your house with a toolbox
15. Giving unsolicited advice
16. Making jokes to waiters
17. Cleaning his car for fun
18. Always ordering the same meal at a restaurant
19. Wearing socks with sandals
20. Having questionable dress sense
21. Doing the head-nod greeting to strangers
22. Tinkering with something that isn’t broken
23. Being obsessed with the water/electricity meter
24. Not using emojis properly
25. Talking through a film you’re trying to watch
26. Claiming to be great at BBQ-ing
27. Calling you by your sibling’s name
28. Having a ‘usual’ in the pub
29. Taking atrocious selfies
30. Farting a lot
Australia vs South Africa preview: Free betting tips, odds and predictions for ICC World Test Championship final
AUSTRALIA and South Africa clash in Wednesday’s ICC World Test Championship at Lord’s.
SunSport betting experts have previewed the contest and selected the best bets, tips and exclusive sign-up bonuses from our leading betting partners.
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Australia vs South Africa preview
Lord’s hosts what promises to be a cracking contest as Australia take on South Africa in the final of the ICC World Test Championship on Wednesday.
Australia, the reigning champions after defeating India at The Oval in 2023, enter the match as firm favourites, priced at 3/10 to retain their crown.
And it’s not hard to see why.
The Baggy Greens, currently the top-ranked Test side in the world, arrive with the formidable core that clinched the title two years ago.
Under the leadership of Pat Cummins, Australia secured an impressive 3-1 series win over India at home earlier this year and were the standout side in the 2023–2025 WTC cycle.
They won 13 of their 19 Tests during that span and avoided defeat in all of their six series, seeing off challenges from England, Pakistan, the West Indies, New Zealand, India and Sri Lanka.
As for South Africa, this final marks their first appearance in a World Test Championship decider, having missed out in the previous cycle when finishing third.
Their path to the final has been a little different.
After drawing with India at home and suffering a 2-0 defeat away to New Zealand, the Proteas found form with wins over West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Yet critics will point out that South Africa have had a more favourable schedule – notably avoiding both Australia and England on their way to the final.
In terms of recent head-to-head encounters, there’s little to draw on. Their last meeting came in January 2023, when Australia claimed a convincing 2-0 home series win.
Australia vs South Africa betting odds
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- South Africa 2/1 with bet365 – CLAIM HERE
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South Africa preview betting tips and predictions
Steve Smith to score a century – 3/1 with bet365
The former Australian captain hasn’t played since March but is raring to go as the Baggy Greens look to defend their World Test Championship title they won at the Oval two years ago, in a game where Smith scored a hundred in victory over India.
Smith has a fantastic record batting at Lord’s, with an average of 58 at the home of cricket and is already on the honours board twice, after a mammoth double hundred in 2015 followed by a ton on his most recent visit to the Home of Cricket in 2023.
Kagiso Rabada to take five wickets in the match – 4/5 with bet365
The South African pace bowler has only played two Tests at Lord’s in his career but has a fantastic record at the north London ground, taking 13 wickets at an average of 19, with no other player in either squad having taken more ahead of this week’s WTC final.
The 30-year-old is the Proteas’ leading active wicket taker with 327, and is only three short of climbing into the top four on the all-time list for South Africa, doing so with the best average out of any of the top 14 on the list.
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My body’s ‘under construction’ after cancer op but prosthetic boobs have made me feel normal says Hollyoaks’ Ali Bastian
IT would be understandable to lose faith after a horror 12 months that saw her both diagnosed with cancer and forced to come to terms with the tragic loss of her ‘beautiful’ mum.
But former Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian says she is “better than I would have imagined” after being declared cancer-free, even if her tumultuous recovery has left her still feeling “under construction”.
The 43-year-old was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in June 2024, and underwent a mastectomy in January before getting the all clear two months later.
Now, the Strictly star – who has inspired fans with her candid and powerful updates about her treatment journey – has opened up about the next steps in her recovery and revealed she is still weighing up reconstruction surgery.
In a new interview with Giovanna Fletcher on the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast, she explains how she is now turning her attention to removing a tumour the size of a “tennis ball” that developed after the birth of her daughter, Isla, five years ago.
And she reveals how she has found an unlikely pillar of support in the form of her former stepmother, who she had not seen in over 20 years.
Asked how she had handled the recovery, she said: “In some ways better than I would have imagined actually, even the sort of gearing up for a mastectomy.
“I’ve got a really good prosthetic that makes a big difference. It means in clothes I feel normal. It’s bright pink. It makes me happy.
“It’s just very different to the lump of silicone that you get handed in the hospital, which is a hell of a moment.
“This is a lot lighter and easy to wear. I quite like that it doesn’t look like a chicken fillet, like a pretend boob.
“It’s something that I could show the kids as well because it’s so visually appealing.
“It was one of those little bridging things. I just keep saying to myself really ‘I’m still under construction, I’ve been through a lot, I’m healing at the moment’.”
Ali, who has two daughters Isla, five, and Isabella, two, with husband David O’Mahony, is best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, as well as appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009.
She was diagnosed with cancer after discovering a lump she initially thought was a blocked milk duct while breastfeeding her youngest daughter.
But after undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, Ali says her successful recovery has now allowed her to focus on other health problems she was forced to put off.
She said: “I’ve got a big old hernia from my babies as well.
“Because of all of this I haven’t been able to have that done, and actually I’m more keen to get that done than anything else because that is harder to hide.
“It’s like a tennis ball. I’ve had it for five years, and it needs to go now.”
And speaking on the prospect of further surgery to reconstruct her breasts following the mastectomy, she said she will “explore” her options.
She said: “I couldn’t have a reconstruction at the time because we always knew I’d have to have radiotherapy. At some point there’ll be some kind of something.
“Initially I was like 100 per cent it’s happening. But now, I want to have the conversations and talk through what the options are, but I’m not actually married to any of them at the moment.”
Surprise reunion
Most incredibly of all, Ali’s health battle has also led to her reconnecting with her former stepmum, Sally, who she hadn’t seen in 20 years.
The pair reunited after Ali’s mum tragically passed in autumn 2023, just months before her cancer diagnosis.
In an emotional post last April, she told fans: “I wrote this on Mother’s Day but didn’t end up posting, but here goes…. TW grief. We lost our beautiful Mum in the autumn of ‘23, only a few months before my diagnosis.
“A sudden death after a short terrible illness. Impossible to make sense of.
“Grief, I attempted to put on hold whilst I managed a grueling treatment regime now comes in waves, sometimes crashing, sometimes tidal, rarely gentle… but I try to go gently with myself as I navigate life after cancer and life without you.”
The actress had moved with her husband and children from London to west Cork to slow down shortly before the tragic death.
It followed her suffering a suspected infection following the birth of her second child.
But her stepmum in London, who she had not seen for 20 years, got in touch and offered to come to Ireland to help Ali and her family – support she said was “incredibly healing”.
Speaking about the response to her revealing her diagnosis, she said: “The love and support and kindness was incredible. I never know what to respond to those moments.
“‘It means more than you know’ is what I find myself always saying, but I really, really mean that.
“I had this amazing thing happen for me in that my stepmum, who I hadn’t seen for 20 years, who’d parted company with my dad when I was about 20, when I lost my mum, she reached out to me.
“She was like ‘Hi, I’m here for you if you need me’. She knew I had a nine-month-old baby. So she just kept an eye on me.”
Ali added: “When I got my diagnosis she was like ‘I’m coming to Cork’.
“She spent a week with me and my family. Her sister was an oncology nurse so she had a sense of the treatment plan I was on, and what the months might look like.
“She said ‘Can I come back and I’ll nurse you through this bit?’ So she was with me for five weeks through the real tough chemo part. The way my treatment went towards the end, it’s quite cumulative.
“So she came and helped with the kids and helped me, and talked to me, and looked after me basically, and then came back again when I had my mastectomy and just held me.
“Literally sleeves up. It’s a really different energy when somebody’s like ‘I see you in that hole, I want to climb down with you and help you, and please let me do that’.
“That’s been incredibly healing, like amazing, amazing.”
‘Crazy little bubble’
Speaking after coming back to London and staying with her stepmum, Ali said: “When I come back to London now I stay with her and I have a home here to go to, because I hadn’t taken that on board with moving out to Ireland – that there’s nowhere to come back to.
“I have a place to go, a soft place to go, and that just means so much.
“The type of woman that she is, after she and my father parted ways she went on to become a social worker and become really experienced in that.
“She’s done incredible work in that field for years and years.
“So of all the people that I know that would be able to hold that space for me, my children, my husband, all of those dynamics, and you know the way a family undulates at the best of times, when there’s something going on there’s constant shifts in everyone’s ups and downs.
“We were kind of in this crazy little bubble going through this nightmare all together – she just had a way of being able to be there for us, and that not be complicated.
“She even gave me a mug of tea last night and I looked in the rim and it said ‘I told you to sit down’.”
My Big Fat Fabulous Life’s Whitney Way Thore reveals weight loss in just a bra and leggings as she introduces new ‘boy’
MY Big Fat Fabulous Life’s Whitney Way Thore has revealed her weight loss in just a bra and leggings, while introducing her new ‘boy.’
The star first rose to fame in 2014 when she featured in the viral dance video titled, “A Fat Girl Dancing.”
Whitney, 41, then made her debut on the TLC show, My Big Fat Fabulous Life, a year later, which focused on her life.
At the start of the show, she weighed 380 pounds (170 kg), which was partly due to polycystic ovary syndrome.
Now, she showed off her massive weight loss while posing in a black sports bra and leggings.
The star clutched onto a green juice in the carousel of snaps, and threw her hair up in a high bun.
She also held an adorable ginger kitten in her arms and told fans: “My boy(s),” as the caption.
Whitney introduced her new cat to her followers in a series of photos, with some of him resting inside her top.
In the last slide, a mystery man in a blue cap can be seen sitting beside a delighted looking Whitney, as he holds the cat up.
One fan penned: “Ok who’s the guy?,” followed by heart eye emojis, while another said: “Boysssss eeeeeeeek! Tell me this is your man!”
Many of her legion of Instagram followers praised the star on her weight loss.
And it’s not the first time in recent weeks that Whitney has showed off her more slender physique.
In April, she posted a string of photos on Instagram to celebrate her birthday.
She flaunted her slimmer physique in a glowing selfie, which highlighted the chiseled features on her face.
Another snap of her looking out onto a stunning view of the landscape showed her wearing a cinched, flowing white dress.
Whitney struck a slimmed-down figure as she delicately stroked her loyal canine companion.
The reality star simply captioned the picture with the number: “41,” as well as two emojis which included a birthday cake.
Fans flooded the comments section with gushing praise for the reality TV personality.
One fan wrote: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, friend!! @whitneywaythore You look stunning! So proud of the hard work you’ve been putting in! It’s only up from here!”
“You look really good you’ve come so far,” stated a second user.
As a third commented: “You look incredible Whitney”
While someone else exclaimed: “Oh snap! You look amazing!”
And a fifth added: “Happy birthday!!!!! You are an inspiration and icon Whitney. Hope you treated yourself.”
And it’s good news for My Big Fat Fabulous Life fans, as the new trailer for the new season of the show, premiering July 1, dropped a few days ago.
The caption reads: “Whitney is ready for a fresh start and has big plans! 
New season. New friends. New possibilities. #MyBigFatFabLife premieres Tuesday, July 1 at 9/8c.”
In it, Whitney can be seen navigating fallouts with friends, meeting new people, and even pursuing artificial insemination to have a baby.
I am UK’s most-trolled influencer, mums tell me to kill myself & say I’m too fat to live – I attempted suicide over it
AS SHE uploads her latest makeup tutorial Miah Carter, braces herself as streams of comments come flooding in.
Of the thousands of messages the 22-year-old will receive, she knows at least half will be from vile trolls branding the 22 stone influencer ‘disgusting’ and even telling her to kill herself.
These messages – coming in by the dozen – are horrific. But sadly for Miah this is not a one-off.
“I must be one of the most trolled influencers in Britain,” she tells us.
“The hate almost broke me, but I am determined not to let it get to me.
“I am subjected to a new ‘toxic high’ of brutal ‘troll targeting’ every day. No one should have to live with this.”
Miah says there seems to be no consistency to her trolls who she says range from just six to people in their 40s.
“I have had primary school aged children and mothers tell me to kill myself,” she says.
“It got so bad I tried three times to take my own life. If it hadn’t been for my partner and mental health professionals, I would be dead.
“More must be done to protect people like myself online.”
Bullied on council estate
Miah lives in Reading, Berks with her boyfriend of eight years, Marley 23, a bricklayer.
She grew up watching other people’s lives on social media and found it an ‘escape’.
“Like most people my age I have been active on social media since I was a child,” she says.
“I grew up in a council house on a rough estate and was bullied for being overweight.
“I was a big child, my dad is bodybuilder and big-boned, I was always plus size.
“I was wearing women’s clothing in primary school. I was mixed race and hated for being overweight, obese and different.
“School bullies loved trying to physically assault me or verbally attack me.
“Watching other people’s lives on social media was an escape.”
Miah left school at 16 and studied acting at college before starting work on the makeup counter at a local Boots store.
“I was a size 24 and weighed 22st,” she says.
“I am good at doing makeup and good at selling the best makeup products for a person’s skin.”
Miah admits she was determined to make it as a social media influencer and in March 2020 at the start of lockdown began posting makeup tutorials on TikTok.
“I quit my job and gambled it all on social media success,” she says.
It wasn’t until September 2020 when Miah shared a post of herself crying about being unhappy with her weight, she went viral for the first time.
“I posted a video with no makeup, crying and upset about my size, weight and looks,” she explains.
“I didn’t expect it to get a reaction and was shocked when it did.”
Within 24 hours Miah had gained 10,000 followers and within a week she had another 50,000 fans.
“People praised my honesty and realness which is a rarity online,” she says.
“But there was an element of people wanting to see other people suffer and fix what was upsetting them.”
The increased interest in her account prompted Miah, who at the time was a size 24-26 and weighed 22 stone, with a BMI of 50.5 to focus on losing weight and sharing that journey with fans.
“I used the TikTok fashion challenge to lose weight which is targeting your weight loss to fit into a favourite pair of jeans or dress you were too big for,” she says.
Imagine being trolled by mums and kids in primary school. It was soul destroying
Miah Carter
“I ate healthy lean meats and fruit and vegetables.”
Miah posted updates on her weight loss, shared her thoughts, her ups and downs and fan favourite makeup tutorials.
“I was very honest, and my followers applauded that and with their support I lost four stone,” she says.
When she reached 18st Miah admits she was hit by the realisation that she wasn’t being authentic to her body type.
“I decided to be what I wanted to be and post about plus size positivity,” she explains.
“I could spend all my life trying to be the ‘super thin’ girl and hate myself or be the ‘Miah girl.’
“That year I chose to be the ‘Miah girl.’”
When Miah hit 200,000 followers in January 2022, the trolling increased dramatically.
“I’d post a video and within 24 hours the trolls had gathered,” she says.
“I was told to kill myself and that I was so fat I didn’t deserve to live.
“A six-year-old told me to kill myself. It started a rapid decline in my mental health.”
Miah also lives with a skin condition known as Acanthosis Nigricans which causes her skin pigmentation to darken around her mouth and neck and found herself targeted for her suffering.
She explains: “The haters attacked my skin condition. I was told I was dirty and ‘needed to wash.’
“I was told I was ‘disgusting,’ a ‘waste of space’ and a’ bad example’.
“I was even targeted with racist abuse, the haters had no limits to how much vitriol they spewed at me.”
Miah says many of the trolls were women and even mothers.
“Imagine being trolled by mums and kids in primary school. It was soul destroying,” she says.
Within months Miah explains she had tried to take her life on three separate occasions.
She admits: “I was broken by the hate. I was just trying to share my life and be positive.”
With the help of mental health professionals the 22 year old slowly recovered.
WHAT IS THE UK LAW ON TROLLING?
Trolls love to use public platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to sew the seeds of abuse.
If you’re getting horrible messages to your private inbox that’s not trolling, it’s bullying.
Online bullying has grown by 88 per cent in just five years, with thousands of children and teenagers being targeted.
But just because you have a Twitter account, doesn’t mean you should have to put up with it.
In October 2016, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) introduced new laws that could see those who create “derogatory hashtags” or post “humiliating” Photoshopped images JAILED.
Inciting people to harass others online, known as virtual mobbing, is among the offences included in the guidance.
Baiting – when someone is humiliated online by being branded sexually promiscuous – is also mentioned in the guidance.
The CPS also announced the launch of a hate crime consultation, issuing a series of public policy statements centred on combating crimes against disabled people, as well as racial, religious, homophobic and transphobic hate crime.
Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said: “Social media can be used to educate, entertain and enlighten, but there are also people who use it to bully, intimidate and harass.
“Ignorance is not a defence and perceived anonymity is not an escape. Those who commit these acts, or encourage others to do the same, can and will be prosecuted.”
Some people worry that the new guidelines on social media pose a threat to freedom of speech.
But Miah credits her boyfriend, Marley who she met when she was 15, with being the inspiration she needed to live again.
“We were sitting on a bus one day and I was crying looking at the comments,” she says.
“He told me to ignore those people and to ‘live my dream.’ He was right.
“It was life changing.”
Miah has had ‘live my dream’ tattooed on her arm and said that show of love from Marley was what she needed to stand up to haters.
“I used to spend hours deleting trolling comments,” she says.
“Often, I couldn’t keep up with the hate. I’d delete one comment and another would pop up.
“Instead, I decided to ignore the trolls. To let the comments stay. I was not going to validate the haters by spending my time deleting what that’d written.”
Miah also realised trolls actually helped her to earn money.
She says: “It’s a weird situation. The more people who watch your videos the more you earn.
“If you are trolled the social media algorithms notice the ‘peaked interest’ and feed more potential followers and yes potential haters to you.
“I realise the haters’ hate, was actually in a weird way, paying off.”
A study by Avast, an international consumer brand trends company discovered trolling is on the rise.
In Britain almost two-thirds of 16–24-year-olds or a staggering 64% admitted they have trolled someone else online.
While studies found that impacted up to 5% of British internet users who found themselves victims of cyber bullying
A 2017 Ofcom study reported that 1% of UK internet users experienced online trolling with that number increasing to 5% among Gen Z or 16-24 year olds.
While in the year ending March 2023, more than 847,000 children aged 10 to 15 in England and Wales had experienced online bullying behaviors
Miah, a Gen Z member, reported the hate she experienced to social media website companies but admits there is very little they could do.
“There are no universal global laws against hate or hate crimes which trolling is,” she says.
“People use fake profiles or nameless profiles. I found many people who used established platforms, but a reprimand doesn’t stop their ‘free speech.”
In February 2025 Ofcom launched new draft guidance aimed at improving the experience of women and girls online.
The trolls, the haters, the so-called keyboard warriors are white noise
Miah Carter
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, aims to produce a “proper blueprint” for protecting women and girls online if tech first adopts it.
“I have shared my online bullying with a tech firm, but they could do nothing,” Miah says.
“The draft could work but only with international support and tough penalties.
“It’s commendable but my experience shows without global agreement nothing will change.
“There is nothing the police can do, and we need to.
“That doesn’t mean trolling is OK or acceptable,
“It means people like me have to endure a terrible toxic level of hate which increases daily.”
Miah now has more than 3.3million followers on TikTok alone and has amassed 123.3 million in likes.
The 22-year-old admits her success has been life changing saying it has allowed her to treat herself and her partner to holidays and herself to designer goods.
In October 2024 Miah revealed she was to undergo a gastric sleeve surgery free on the NHS.
“I had put on weight and crept up to 32st,” she says.
“I was working hard and dealing with the hate made me comfort eat.
“I had let the abuse have a physical side effect of trolling.
“It undid all the work I had done losing weight when I first started on social media.”
Miah underwent the NHS procedure at Kings College in London in October last year.
“I shared everything on social media and even though I was losing weight the haters have continued to attack me.
Miah now weighs 22 stone and is a size 18-20.
“I feel healthier, happier, and re-inspired,” she says.
“Every day I get messages from fans all over the world. They thank me for having the guts to put myself out there on social media.
“I get praised for my confidence, my makeup looks, and my positive approach to life.”
The 22-year-old now boasts deals with Charlotte Tilbury, Lancome and Maybelline and refuses to let the haters hate.
“You have to create your own tribe and be loyal to it,” she explains.
“The trolls, the haters, the so-called keyboard warriors are white noise. They are little people with little ideas.
“I may be one of the most trolled women in Britain; however, I know it has made me stronger, tougher, and more determined to stand up for people who cannot stand up for themselves.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk
- HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123