ITV News exposes 'wild west' of backstreet cosmetic surgery
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Hi, my name's Cree-Summer Haughton and for the last year I've been investigating the unregulated world of cosmetic surgery in the UK.
Last week, on a cold Sunday morning, I found myself standing on a street corner in Clapham, south London, waiting for a custom blue Porsche to pull up.
I was there to get answers for the alleged victims of a business whose practices have left people physically and mentally scarred.
But this business isn’t the only one. Since we first started investigating we’ve conducted multiple undercover operations, spoken to countless victims, confronted those responsible for the procedures, and searched for answers as to how this backstreet industry is allowed to thrive.
You can see the results of that work in a new documentary - Britain’s Backstreet Surgery Scandal - available to view on ITVX now.
In it we managed to track down the new Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, who we questioned about his own government’s stance.
He didn’t back away from the issue, telling us he thought it was ‘absolutely disgusting that there are wild west operators practising actually dangerously in cosmetic surgery and putting people's lives at risk.’
He also confirmed to us that he would commit to tackling this responsible saying: ‘We know that we need to act. We are taking this seriously. We're going as fast as we can.’
Yet despite that commitment, he wouldn’t be drawn on a timeframe, and while we wait for action the potential for the number of victims impacted will only grow.
Back in Clapham, the beautician I was waiting to question did show up, but after seeing me approaching with my camera crew, she shut the door of her sports car and refused to answer my questions before speeding away up the road.
We won’t stop searching for answers though.
Here’s more of our coverage of this issue:
Exclusive: The British beautician facing cocaine smuggling charge in US
Kimberly Hall was stopped in Chicago's airport in August carrying a heavyweight 43kg of cocaine packed inside her holiday suitcases from Middlesbrough,
The 28-year-old, from Middlesbrough, has insisted she is "innocent", and is now living in fear from the two men she says threatened her to carry what she thought was cash in her luggage.
ITV Tyne Tees’ Gregg Easteal spoke to her before her latest court appearance and pressed her on what she did and did not know… Watch what she had to say on ITVX.
Police handed two cases by team investigating Post Office investigators
Detectives investigating the Horizon IT scandal have been made aware of at least two cases of potential criminal activity by Post Office investigators, ITV News has learned.
We understand the cases were passed to the Metropolitan Police by Project Phoenix, an internal inquiry set up by the Post Office in 2023 to review allegations made by sub-postmasters about the conduct of investigators who handled their cases.
ITV News Investigations Editor Daniel Hewitt has spoken to two subpostmasters who say they were grilled by two of the Post Office employees under scrutiny by Project Phoenix - watch his report on ITVX.
Liam Payne's death forces music industry to reassess how it treats young artists
Thinking about things like HR and sick pay may not sound very rock-and-roll, but it is what some leading musicians say could make the music industry a better place for young artists.
Producer and songwriter Guy Chambers, who worked with Robbie Williams after the pop star left Take That, says a system whereby artists become the employees of record companies when they are taken on, is needed.
ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar also spoke to Kéllé Bryan - just 15 when she joined 90s girl band Eternal - about the pitfalls of starting out so young in a cut-throat industry.
Catch up with Nina’s Unscripted podcast via our website and watch her report on ITV News’ YouTube channel.
Exclusive: Nazanin says she will ‘never forgive’ Iran for imprisonment
British-Iranian citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was first arrested in April 2016 while visiting her family in 2016, with her daughter, Gabriella.
She was to spend six years detained in jail or under house arrest after being found guilty of plotting to topple the Iranian government.
Finally freed in March 2022, the 46-year-old this week spoke to ITV London’s Ronke Phillips at length about the reasons for her incarceration, why she was held for so long and how difficult it has been adjusting to life back in the UK - plus her feelings for those who remain in jail in Iran.
Watch the full interview on ITVX.
Camilla speaks to domestic abuse survivors in 'powerful' ITV documentary
Every so often, in a media landscape cluttered with royal documentaries, one comes along which really stands out, writes ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship.
Seeing Queen Camilla sitting at a small kitchen table in a women’s refuge talking one-to-one with a survivor of domestic abuse, is one of many must-see interactions in a new ITV documentary.
"I'm surprised she's brave enough to do this," says Queen Camilla before meeting domestic abuse survivor 'Natalie’.
You can catch up with Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, on ITVX.
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Freak crash girl: ‘I dreamed I was paragliding’
Lily Nichol was with her mum and sister on the last day of their trip to Turkey when a paraglider ‘spinning out of control’ crashed into her as they sat at a beach-side restaurant.
The accident left the 15-year-old with a fractured spine, a punctured lung, a broken jaw and fractured collar bone.
ITV Tyne Tees’ Katie Cole met the family - who had no insurance - in hospital as they face a £45,000 surgery bill - watch her report on ITVX.
Family's plea after dad killed by selfie-taking driver
Dave Sinar, 64, was killed by Amber Potter, 23 - who was on her phone, zooming in on a selfie when her Vauxhall Corsa ploughed into the back of the scooter rider in September 2021.
Potter's phone records showed she had been texting and taking photographs of her self throughout her journey from Glastonbury to Norwich.
Now Mr Sinar’s family has spoken to ITV Anglia’s Rob Setchell about the need for tougher sentences after Potter was jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Why did my son die in prison?
Ryan Harding was just weeks away from being released from HMP Parc in Bridgend when he died after apparently taking synthetic drug spice.
His mother, Catherine, speaking exclusively to ITV Cymru Wales, said: “I don’t understand it. I just don’t understand it at all.”
So far this year, 17 inmates have died in the prison - eight of them linked to spice. ITV Wales has spoken to one inmate, recently freed, who says getting hold the drug is as easy as buying a newspaper in a newsagent.
What’s coming up…
Monday November 18: Leaders of the G20 nations gather in Rio de Janiero for a summit
Monday November 18: An inquest opening for Alfred Swinscoe, who went missing aged 54 in 1967, is due to take place in Nottingham after his remains were finally located in April last year
Tuesday November 19: Farmers holding mass lobby of MPs over impact of inheritance tax changes
Wenesday November 20: Latest quarterly inflation figures out
And finally… 25 years in the laughing game
“I had one proper ‘death’ in Newcastle, in a club called the Hyena. It was so bad, no one even even heckled, they started having a chat amongst themselves,” says comedian John Bishop.
Even so, the Liverpudlian still loves (trying to) make people laugh and 25 years after starting out at the Frog & Bucket in Manchester, he’s going back to where it all started.
He spoke to ITV Granada Reports about why making people laugh is so important to him…