Gillian McKeith

For the song by Brett Domino, see Gillian McKeith (song).

Gillian McKeith
McKeith c. mid-2000s
Born (1959-09-28) 28 September 1959 (age 65)[1]
Perth, Scotland
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh (BA) University of Pennsylvania (MA)
Occupations
  • Television personality
  • writer
Television
Children2
Websitegillianmckeith.com

Gillian McKeith (born 28 September 1959) is a Scottish television personality and writer. She is known for her promotion of various pseudoscientific ideas about health and nutrition. She is the former host of Channel 4's You Are What You Eat (2004–2006), Granada Television's Dr Gillian McKeith's Feel Fab Forever (2009–2010), and W Network's Eat Yourself Sexy (2010). In 2008, McKeith regularly appeared on the E4 health show Supersize vs Superskinny, and in 2010, she was a contestant on the tenth series of the ITV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

Numerous practices supported by McKeith are pseudoscience not supported by scientific research, such as the detox diet, colonic irrigation, and her claims that examining the tongue and stool samples can be used to identify ailments and dietary needs.[2][3][4] McKeith has no qualifications in nutrition or medicine from accredited institutions, and in 2007 agreed with the Advertising Standards Authority to stop using the title "Doctor".[5]

McKeith has written several books about nutrition, including You Are What You Eat (2004), which sold more than two million copies, and Dr Gillian McKeith's Ultimate Health Plan (2006). The validity of her approach and the safety of her recommendations have been strongly criticised by health professionals.[2] She faced criticism during the COVID-19 pandemic for promoting COVID-19 misinformation and anti-vaccine views, and was described as a conspiracy theorist.[6][7]

  1. ^ "A spoonful of cruelty helps the weight go down". The Sunday Times. 4 September 2005. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008.
  2. ^ a b Cooke, Rachel (12 June 2005). "The vegetable monologues". The Observer. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Detoxification". NY Langone Medical Center. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Debunking Detox". Sense About Science. 5 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  5. ^ Ben Goldacre (11 February 2007). "What's wrong with Gillian McKeith". The Guardian.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).