Join TVScoop on Facebook for exclusive competitions and gossip

No more Doctor for Gillian McKeith

By johnberesford on February 13th, 2007 3 comments

Gillian_mckeith_2You might think we’re a bit obsessed with "Doctor" Gillian McKeith here on TV Scoop. You might be right, but we feel a sense of public duty to be as mean to her as she is to the victims on her TV show. So it’s with a sense of smug self-satisfaction that we bring you news (via the Daily Mail) that she has been shamed into dropping her title from all advertising for her company, products and books following a complaint to the ASA that its use misled the public into believing she has a medical qualification.

McKeith has previously argued that she has a right to use the title "Doctor" because she has a PhD in holistic nutrition. But even that is not as useful as it sounds.

Her degree was gained through distance learning from the American College of Holistic Nutrition, but when she took the course the college had not been accredited by any recognised educational authority.

McKeith’s PR machine, in the shape of Max Clifford, said he wished the title had never been used as it had caused nothing but embarrassment. McKeith’s work has been criticised in the past by researchers into human nutrition, because her approach of humiliation and fear does not change eating habits in the long term, and the British Dietetic Association has warned of people making themselves ill after following untrained, unqualified advice.

Join TVScoop on Facebook for exclusive competitions and gossip

3 Responses to “No more Doctor for Gillian McKeith”

  1. Mark says:

    Great news isn’t it John!

    If you haven’t already, I suggest reading this article in Guardian to boost the feeling of glee still further. It totally and absolutely rips everything she’s ever done to shreads…

    http://media.guardian.co.uk/advertising/comment/0,,2011099,00.html

    Here’s a quote from it: “McKeith is a menace to the public understanding of science. She seems to misunderstand not nuances, but the most basic aspects of biology – things that a 14-year-old could put her straight on.”

  2. mof gimmers says:

    Naturally, this is music to my ears. Now, all we need is someone to complain about her bullying. I want a Jade Goody lynching.

    Mof
    TVScoop

  3. Billyo says:

    Great article. My fiance and I (we’re both scientists) watch McKeith every week and we have a competition to see who can correct her on the most innacuracies. I would find it one of the best sit-coms ever if it were written by Ricky Gervais, but sadly she’s for real and it scares me that people listen to her.

    Oh and we’ve started on the ad’s now too. Penta-Peptides in Shampoo? What have strings of 5 amino acids got to do with anything?




Related Posts with Thumbnails
Join TVScoop on Facebook for exclusive competitions and gossip