33-year-old woman dies after botched ‘Brazilian butt lift’ operation in UK

A mother of five has died after undergoing a cosmetic procedure believed to be a Brazilian butt lift (BBL).

Two people have been arrested for manslaughter after 33-year-old Alice Webb died following surgery in Gloucester on Tuesday.

A now-deleted GoFundMe page set up by a family friend said she had undergone BBL surgery, which involves the use of fat transfer or fillers to enlarge and shape the buttocks, but the surgery “went wrong.”

Ms Webb worked as an advanced aesthetic practitioner at Crystal Clear cosmetic clinic in Wotton-under-Edge, a market town in Gloucestershire.

Police said they were called to an address in Gloucester at 11.35pm on Monday after a woman “became unwell following a suspected cosmetic procedure”.

“She was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and died in the early hours of Tuesday morning,” a Gloucestershire Constabulary spokesman said.

Two people have since been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and released on bail.

Ms Webb’s partner Dane Knight paid tribute to her online, saying: ‘I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the family and friends who have been there for us during this time of need, including all the kind messages they have sent to my children and me.

“Some of your children sent me beautiful messages that brought a smile to the corners of my children’s faces.”

Another tribute on the GoFundMe page said: “Alice was beautiful inside and out and had the biggest heart. Her family was her world.”

Call for a ban

Ashton Collins, director of Save Face, an organisation that campaigns for patient safety in the cosmetics industry, believes non-surgical BBL procedures should be banned in the UK.

“I am devastated to hear of Alice’s tragic death,” she said. “We have launched a campaign in December 2023 calling on the government to take urgent action to ban these procedures.”

“We made it absolutely clear that without immediate intervention, someone would die. It makes me incredibly sad and angry that our fears have been confirmed today.”

Ms Collins said if the procedure had been a BBL, Ms Webb would have been the first person in the UK to die following such an operation.

The Gloucestershire Constabulary spokesman said: “Her next of kin and the coroner have been informed. The woman’s family are being supported by specially trained officers.”

“The investigation under the direction of the criminal police is ongoing. The two arrested persons have been released on bail.”