A-Listers asking for donations will always be controversial, even if it’s well-intentioned.
Supermodel Bella Hadid is the latest to be hit with furious backlash for sharing a GoFundMe page for a ‘detox specialist’.
While we’re all for looking after the body and mind, the model has been promoting the page despite its controversial claims.
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Back in 2012, Hadid was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease – a controversial term which has been widely debated among the medical community.
In recent months, her condition has worsened with the supermodel keeping out of the public eye, due to a ‘flare up’.
This weekend though, the 26-year-old made a series of social media posts about her ongoing condition and gushed about the support she’d received from loved ones.
Among them was self-described ‘detox specialist’ Tracey Piper, who was called a ‘sister, angel [and] mentor] by Hadid as she gushed about the holistic therapist on Instagram.
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She even shared a screenshot of Piper’s GoFundMe page on her stories, which encouraged people to donate funds to a retreat centre run by the specialist.
It read: "I am asking for assistance to complete the purchase of our upstate New York location to continue helping people with health challenges find alternative & holistic ways to improve their health."
A second screenshot then claimed that Piper had ‘coached’ her dad through cancer treatment, in a controversial statement on the GoFundMe page.
It continued: "On the personal front, I'm happy to say that my own father is now cancer free after only 1 conventional treatment for the disease AND attending 5 of my retreats and adhering to the lifestyle changes I have coached him through.”
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Though Hadid called the woman a ‘true healer’, the post has infuriated some fans.
In fact, the page even concerned GoFundMe - who have ‘temporarily suspended’ it, though it looks to be back up now.
According to Buzzfeed, the fundraising site removed it after concerns about ‘rewards or giveaways’ on Piper’s page.
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However, the company did state that it was working with Piper to resolve the issue.
It’s worth noting that Piper is not the only controversial practitioner who Hadid has posted about.
The supermodel has also shared medical documents showing she had been treated by controversial Kenny De Meirleir, who was found guilting of illegal importing and administering the drug Nexavir in Belgium.
While it’s often said that health is wealth, we wonder whether she should be buying into these practices.
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UNILAD have reached out to Hadid, Piper and GoFundMe.
Katherine Sidnell