Reality TV star Gemma Collins has been reprimanded by Britain's advertising watchdog for illegally promoting weight loss jabs to social media users, many of who are desperate to lose weight.
The advert posted to her Instagram, which is still live, was said to encourage people to 'likely request the prescription only medication'.
Collins, who boasts more than 2.2million followers, was ordered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) not to promote the advert for weight-loss service Yazen again.
It comes as part of an ASA crack down on eight other companies who also promoted the prescription slimming injections to the public.
UK law forbids promotion of any prescription medication. This includes sponsored posts shared on social media. Doing so could result in a fine and up to two years in prison.
The watchdog said it was 'crystal clear' the drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, are prescription-only medication and it had issued repeated warnings on the topic.
It also follows calls today by leading medics who cautioned that weight loss jabs alone will not be enough to make 'lasting progress' on tackling the UK's obesity epidemic.
Instead, the Government must tackle the 'social and environmental drivers of obesity' such as the 'aggressive' marketing of junk food and affordability of healthy options, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said.
Once aimed at diabetes patients, the drugs are now famous for bringing about rapid weight loss by reducing appetite.
However, they can also involve worrying side effects such as pancreatitis -- when the pancreas suddenly becomes inflamed -- or gastrointestinal issues.
In Collins' now-banned advert, posted on January 6, she said: '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.'
She added: '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.'
Two complainants challenged whether the ad breached rules because it promoted prescription-only medication to the public.
Yazen said the post had been intended to share information about their 'holistic, responsible approach to weight loss', and had not been intended to focus solely on medication.
Following notification of the complaint, and in agreement with Collins, the post has been amended to remove any reference to prescription-only medications.
Yazen said they would ensure that future posts were compliant with the advertising code.
Collins also said she took her responsibilities under the advertising code seriously and strove to comply with them.
She accepted that her posts had promoted the Yazen weight-loss service and app, and said Yazen would approve any marketing materials she might post in future, and she would follow any guidance that the ASA provided.
The ASA also banned an ad for prescription-only weight-loss medication posted by CheqUp, which read: 'No GP or pharmacy visit, just a 2 minute online consultation.'
CheqUp told the ASA that they believed the advert had been created in line with what had become widespread industry practice in the weight-loss sector.
They assured the ASA that the ad would not appear again.
Other providers who have had their ads banned include pharmacyonline.co.uk, HealthExpress.co.uk, Juniper UK, Cloud Pharmacy, and Phlo Clinic and SemaPen.
The ASA said the rulings established the advertising of named weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy, Mounjaro, Ozempic and Saxenda was banned, as was the use of various claims such as 'obesity treatment jab' and 'weight loss pen'.
At least half a million NHS patients and some 15 million patients in the US are now thought to be using weight-loss jabs, which can help patients lose up to 20 per cent of their body weight in just a few months.
And the numbers using them privately are even higher.
The health service currently prescribes Wegovy to around 35,000 patients at specialist weight management clinics.
Mounjaro, meanwhile, has been available in similar clinics since March and as of this month, GPs are also able to prescribe it.
It comes as leading medics today also warned that the jabs will not be enough to make 'lasting progress' on tackling the UK's obesity epidemic.
An RCP poll found that of the almost 19,000 doctors surveyed, four in five said the number of patients they see with obesity has increased over the last five years.
In a new position statement, the college said: 'Medication alone will not be enough to make meaningful and lasting progress on tackling obesity.'
'Policies should reduce aggressive marketing and advertising of foods high in fat, salt, and sugar, while increasing the availability and affordability of healthy foods from an early age.'
'We must tackle our broken food system and ensure it is easier for all to choose to eat healthily.'
Dr Kath McCullough, special adviser on obesity for the RCP, said: 'The narrative that obesity is about personal responsibility or that new medications will solve the problem is misleading.'
'Obesity is a chronic illness shaped by a range of factors and influences -- and it's on the rise.'
'We are seeing daily how obesity causes and makes it harder to treat conditions, from diabetes and arthritis to heart disease and cancer.'
'The NHS 10 Year Plan rightly sets out a suite of measures that can be used in the fight against obesity, but the armoury is far from complete.'
'Weight loss drugs can be part of the solution for some patients, but our efforts must focus on preventing people developing obesity and overweight in the first place.'