Dragons' Den faces new backlash over 'upsetting' claims about ME sufferers
Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Giselle Boxer has sparked further fury over claims that ME sufferers are “stuck in a negative mindset”.
The Mirror has unearthed a film in which Ms Boxer, who made history with six offers of financing on the BBC entrepreneurial show, said sufferers are often “bogged down with their condition”.
Her comments have sparked anger from charity campaigners and raised fresh questions about the BBC’s due diligence. The Mirror revealed this week how producers had invited Ms Boxer’s Acu Seeds company onto the show. She caused initial anger after claiming the acupuncture ear devices, which stimulate nerve endings, helped her recovery from ME. In the newly found footage, filmed last year, she said: “There is a lot of negativity in the chronic illness community.
“I say negativity, I mean a lot of people get very bogged down with their condition and symptoms. It’s all they think about. They think, ‘how long have I had this for? This has completely ruined my life. My life is over… I’ll never recover.’ They are very stuck in that negative mindset. There are people who are very positive and who have hope and do believe recovery is possible.”
Dr Charles Shepherd, of ME Association, said the comments would cause further upset.
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He said: “Like many people who have a debilitating health condition that is affecting all aspects of their life, this can also affect mental health. However, the vast majority remain positive and become ‘expert patients’ in the practical management of their illness.”
The BBC said on Thursday that they were taking the concerns raised “seriously” and were to conduct a review. In the meantime, they pulled the episode from iPlayer. Meanwhile, it’s emerged Boxer was also banned from a prominent ME Facebook forum for “spamming” members about her “natural recovery”.
Moderators on the forum with more than 50,000 members expressed unease about Giselle’s posts in December 2019 which claimed she had “nearly recovered” and wanted to “share her journey with you all…..to give you hope”. They removed three of her posts, and banned her from posting.
The charity Good Thinking, which researches pseudoscientific health claims, has also written to BBC Director-General Tim Davie saying it has “serious concerns” about the Dragons’ Den production team. It says: “They have a pattern of promoting eye-catching businesses that make false health claims.”
On the show, Ms Boxer, 31, from Sheffield, accepted an offer of £50,000 for 12.5% of business from dragon Steven Bartlett. She has stated she never said the ear seeds are a cure and her recovery was supported by a variety of approaches. The business also said it does not guarantee curing conditions.
A BBC spokesperson said last night: “Dragons’ Den is an entertainment programme which features products created by entrepreneurs but is not an endorsement of them. It does not and has never set out to offer medical advice. It shows real businesses pitching to investors to lift the lid on what happens in the business world. The Dragons’ decision to invest is their own, and the BBC has no involvement or commercial interest in any investments.”
A source added that once a deal is struck, the entrepreneurs “enter into the normal period of rigorous due diligence”.
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