Teen almost died after taking herbal slimming pills that ‘ripped her insides to pieces’

A teenager claims she nearly died after herbal diet pills ripped her stomach lining.

Taylor Hannah had purchased green tea extracts and fat metabolisers from Holland & Barrett so she could get back into shape in August.

The 19-year-old, whose weight had ballooned due to medication she took for bipolar, used them for six months until she had to be rushed to casualty on February 5.

‘I almost died from dehydration and needed to be put on a fluid drip due to excessive vomiting. I was really ill, couldn’t move and had chest pains,’ Ms Hannah, from Greenock, Inverclyde, said.

‘I have now found out they have torn my stomach lining.’

The 5ft 3in teen lost almost half of her body weight after taking the pills and being unwell, dropping from 14 stone to 7st 9lb.

A spokesperson for Holland & Barrett said: ‘All our products are manufactured to the highest standards, used by tens of thousands of people every day.

‘We have never received a complaint of this kind from these products before.

‘Certain products we sell, including weight management supplements, do carry an on-pack warning instructing customers to consult their GP if, for example, they are already taking prescribed medicines.

‘Clearly we are concerned to hear of any customer reportedly becoming unwell, and we would always urge customers to seek advice from our team of nutritionists or trained store staff.’