Social media personality, Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, has confessed to fabricating a breast cancer diagnosis to solicit financial donations from members of the public.

She made the revelation during an interview with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in a video shared on Thursday.

Blessing CEO attributed her decision to financial difficulties, saying she deliberately staged the cancer controversy because she was under pressure and feared public embarrassment.

“The pressure was too much. So what did I do? That was where the cancer drama came in. And because of the pressure, I saw this embarrassment coming. I said to myself, what stunt can I pull? What stunts can I pull? Then I pulled out the cancer,” she said.

She linked the financial pressure to an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)-related dispute involving a man identified as Dr Onuoha Okeigwe.

The social media personality disclosed that she had undergone a medical examination a few months earlier, during which a lump was discovered in her breast. However, she said the medical finding was not cancerous.

She admitted that she capitalised on the discovery by falsely presenting the lump as cancerous to attract public sympathy and financial support.

“Honestly, I do not have cancer. The truth is, I had gone for a check-up a few months ago and they found a lump on my breast, but it was not cancerous.

“So I took advantage of that, came to the media, cried for help and said that the lump was cancerous. I played an emotional game. I wanted funds, but I didn’t come out directly to ask for funds,” she said.

Recounting how the donations started, Blessing CEO said she initially suggested that she might sell some of her personal belongings, including her car and house, to raise money.

She said the development prompted members of the public to encourage her to share her bank details so they could offer financial assistance.

According to her, donations subsequently came in from different individuals, who contributed varying amounts.

However, she disclosed that the contributions stopped after VeryDarkMan released a video questioning her cancer claims and demanding medical evidence to support her appeal for financial assistance.

“When I saw the video, immediately he (VeryDarkMan) made that video, the donation stopped. The donation paused. So I’m like, what do I do? What do I do? That was where the whole orchestration and resolving and all that stuff came,” she said.

Blessing CEO added that she was not proud of her actions.

Her confession represents a reversal of her earlier claims during the controversy, which emerged in March when she announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and appealed to the public for financial assistance to cover her treatment.