The tragic final post of a mother-of-five who became the first person to die from a Brazilian Bum Lift procedure in the UK has been revealed.
Alice Webb, 34, died on Monday just hours after having the surgery, which is believed to have been performed in the West Country.
The night before her sudden death, she posted a photo on Facebook of a small pumpkin, which she said was a ‘present’ from her daughter. She added: ‘How cute.’
In the comments, she shared a second photo of the pumpkin, having been carved with a candle inside, and wrote: ‘My little lamp.’
Gloucestershire Police confirmed it is investigating the death and has arrested two people on suspicion of manslaughter.
The practitioner alleged to have carried out the surgery – whose identity is known to – is one of those who has been arrested.
Yesterday evening, Alice’s partner Dane Knight asked people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding her death and to be mindful around her five daughters, who are ‘extremely vulnerable’ at this time.
In an emotional post on Facebook he wrote: ‘Want to say a heart felt thank you to all family and friends that were here for us at our time of need, including all of the kind messages sent to my children and myself.
‘There was some very beautiful messages sent by some of your children that formed a start of a smile from the corner of my kids mouth.
‘I feel this is important saying this as I will not accept speculations from adults being accidentally being eaves dropped by children and unnecessary questions raised to the 5 girls, so be extremely carful on what you say and who’s around! My children are extremely vulnerable!
‘Alice left us Monday at 11.30pm. 2 people have been arrested and currently in custody on potential charges of corporate manslaughter.
‘Please, please have these 5 girls feelings at heart here.’
Alice was an advanced aesthetic practitioner at Crystal Clear in Wotton-under-Edge, a market town in Gloucestershire.
A GoFundMe page set up by her pal Abigail Irwin revealed the tragedy. It said: ‘I am hoping to raise as many funds as we can to support Dane, the partner of Alice and their five beautiful children at this very difficult sad time.
‘Alice passed away Monday evening after having the BBL treatment which has gone wrong.
‘Alice joined the beauty & Aesthetics industry two years ago and she has been smashing it, doing amazing.
‘She cared about her clients, she would always check in to see if they were OK, Alice was a beautiful person inside and out and I feel very lucky to have known her and to have spent time with her in our salon.
‘Alice would ask for advice all the time and ask to check if there was anything more she could do to improve her skills but she was just a pure natural and never needed my help but always wanting to be the best at her job and that she was.
‘Alice has passed away at a young age of 34. Alice was beautiful inside and out with the biggest heart, her family was her world she is leaving behind her partner Dane & 5 beautiful children.
‘Delsie 15, Preete 13, Gracie 12, Nylie 10, Clarie 7 as you can imagine this is a very difficult heart breaking time for them all so if we can all help donate or share to help take of some financial stress it would be really appreciated by the family.’
By late Wednesday the fund stood at £740 of a £3,000 target.
Alice’s death was also confirmed by campaign group Save Face.
Director Ashton Collins told : ‘We are aware of this sad incident and are offering our support to her family.
‘This is a very tragic time for them and we warned the Government nine months ago that deaths were likely unless there was intervention.
‘We get hundreds of complaints from people and more needs to be done to investigate these procedures and there have been deaths from sepsis as a result.
‘I understand that the surgeon involved has been arrested and is being questioned by police.’
According to a report from Save Face published in July there has been an ‘alarming increase in the number of patient reported complaints relating to non-surgical breast augmentation and BBLs’.
The report said that more than half have resulted in severe and life-threatening complications, including sepsis, abscesses and infections.
Save Face’s investigation tragically concluded by saying: ‘This is a crisis waiting to happen. Without urgent intervention, we fear it will only be a matter of time until there are fatalities.
‘We are calling upon the Government to take immediate action to ban these procedures to ensure public safety.’
Speaking on Wednesday to The Mirror, Ashton Collins of Save Face said: ‘We made it absolutely clear that without urgent intervention, someone would die.
‘It makes me incredibly sad and angry that today our fear has been confirmed and a family has been shattered.’
In a statement, Gloucestershire police said: ‘Police had been called by the ambulance service at around 11.35pm on Monday (23 September) with a report a woman had become unwell following a suspected cosmetic procedure.
‘She was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and died in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
‘Her next of kin and the coroner are aware.
‘The woman’s family are being supported by specially trained officers.
‘An investigation, led by the Major Crime Investigation Team, is ongoing. The two people who had been arrested have been released on police bail.’
Several British women have died overseas following BBL surgery in the last few years as the procedure is usually cheaper and popular destinations include Turkey, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Last month, Kaydell Brown, 38, of Sheffield, died after having a BBL in Turkey that she hoped would change her life.
The mother of two paid £5,400 for a ‘mummy MOT’ – a package deal involving a Brazilian butt lift, a tummy tuck and a boob job. The cost in Britain would have been around £15,000.
The hairdresser underwent the procedures at Clinic Expert in Istanbul on the morning of March 26, 2024, but never came out.
Her heartbroken sister Leanne, 40, who was due to have the same surgery, slammed the Turkish clinic, branding it a ‘pop-up butcher shop that needs shutting down’.
Demi Agoglia, 26, of Salford, Greater Manchester, died in January days after she also had BBL surgery in Turkey.
She became ill despite doctors initially declaring her surgery was successful.
The young woman was taken into intensive care but was tragically pronounced dead.
The mother reportedly flew to Turkey having already had dental work which was botched as well as another surgery.
Her devastated brother Carl, 37, said Ms Agoglia’s family and partner had tried to convince her not to go through with the bum-lift as they were concerned for her safety.
The father-of-four said: ‘It is tragic what happened. We are just in shock. She went to Istanbul to have it done.
‘She had previously gone to have her teeth done. No one wanted her to go out and have it done but she is one of those people.
‘Her partner is still out there and his dad has just flown out there to be with him.
‘If anyone is thinking of flying to Turkey for an operation I would say don’t do it! Even her boyfriend didn’t want her to do it. But she is 26 and has her own mind. Her mum didn’t want her to go out either.’
Last November the death of 31-year-old Melissa Kerr after BBL surgery prompted UK government officials to meet with their counterparts in Turkey to discuss the dangers of cosmetic tourism.
Ms Kerr was admitted to the Medicana Kadikoy Hospital in Istanbul in 2019 and died after the procedure to collect fat and inject it into her buttocks.
The procedure carries a death rate at ‘least 10 times higher than many other cosmetic procedures’.
Norfolk’s senior coroner Jacqueline Lake said that Ms Kerr, of Denton, Norfolk, was only given ‘limited information regarding the risks and mortality rate’ associated with the operation.
The coroner wrote to the Department of Health and Social Care with her concerns following an inquest heard in September last year.
She wrote: ‘I am concerned that patients travelling to Turkey for this procedure are not being made aware of the risks and the high mortality rate associated with this surgery.’
Ms Lake also raised concerns that there were ‘no or limited controls with regard to such surgery taking place’.