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This Morning hit with hundreds of Ofcom complaints after star's 'misinformation'

This Morning was dealing with the serious topic of the spread of UTIs, when a guest on the show made some bold claims that saw hundreds of horrified viewers get in touch with Ofcom

This Morning has been slapped with hundreds of complaints to watchdog Ofcom following accusations of "misinformation" on the show.

The ITV flagship daytime programme airs every weekday on the channel, providing a slew of entertainment pieces, as well as hard-hitting new stories and important guidance for health issues. However, during one of last week's shows, the programme landed itself in hot water after one of its guests made some bold claims.

During the show, which airs last week, TV presenter Cherry Healey was invited onto the show to talk about her experience of suffering with urinary tract infections (UTIs). The presenter contracted an infection, but a series of complications meant that she was rushed to hospital and was admitted for five days.

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Speaking to hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, the presenter admitted that she had left it untreated, which caused her symptoms to get progressively worse. She was joined on the show by Senior Urologist Jean McDonald to show viewers the dangers of not going to the doctor.

[Cherry Healey]

Cherry Healey joined This Morning to talk about her UTI experience(Image: This Morning)

Talking about her experience, Healey, 43, said that she felt she had a UTI, but could not get it treated due to it being her best friend's birthday. "I was going straight from filming to her wedding in the countryside; its in the middle of nowhere. Theres no way I could get to a doctor," she added.

She said that to get through the excruciating pain, she was "drinking cranberry juice and taking painkillers", but kept getting "sicker and sicker". Despite drinking the refreshing juice, she made the claim that "painkillers don't work on UTIs" - a statement that many believed to be untrue.

[Cherry Healey]

Healey said drinking cranberry juice did not help her with her symptoms(Image: This Morning)

Some 129 complaints were then made to regulator Ofcom on the basis of "misinformation", arguing that the advice Cherry had been giving was inaccurate. Information on the NHS website says that cranberry drinks can be used to prevent UTIs, but said there is "no evidence" to suggest for ease symptoms for an infection that has started already.

Some symptoms of having a UTI include needing to pee more than usual, a high temperature, shivering or a pain or burning sensation when urinating. When peeing, the urine could also be dark or smelly, but this could potentially due to dehydration by not drinking enough water.

[Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley]

Ofcom received 129 complaints over the "misinformation" claims(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Should any symptoms be found, it is important to get seen as soon as possible so as not to leave it untreated and have it worsen. Urgent treatment should also be sought if the most severe symptoms are being experienced.

This Morning airs every weekday at 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.

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