Influencer Grace Wolstenholme recently found herself facing a disturbing situation when a video surfaced on TikTok falsely claiming that she had passed away. The 22-year-old British content creator, known for her videos about living with cerebral palsy, addressed the hoax in a response video posted in May 2025. In the video, Wolstenholme expressed her shock and disbelief at the false rumours circulating about her demise.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/grace-wolstenholme-instagram2-71425-7bf66e52fe25457c8db8d3dd7967fb1e.jpg)
The video in question featured a clip of Wolstenholme falling over in the gym, originally posted on her page in 2021, followed by footage of a casket being lowered into the ground with text overlay suggesting that the creator had passed away. Wolstenholme described the hoax as “sickening” and accused the user behind it of exploiting her image and falsely claiming to have cerebral palsy to promote his business.
The impact of the hoax extended beyond just the video itself, as people started leaving comments offering their condolences and expressing their grief over Wolstenholme’s alleged death. The creator, who had been inactive on social media due to illness at the time, was shocked to learn about the extent of the situation when someone reached out to her mother with their sympathies.
During her address to the hoax, Wolstenholme revealed that she had been unwell, making the false claims about her passing even more distressing. The video had garnered 41,000 views at that point, leading to a significant loss of followers for Wolstenholme and affecting her income from the platform.
Despite efforts to have the video removed, including reaching out to someone with a similar username on Instagram who reposted it, the false content resurfaced days later. In addition to the emotional toll of the hoax, Wolstenholme also received offensive messages from the user responsible for the video.
Authorities were informed of the harassment, with the Metropolitan Police involved in the case. Although no arrests had been made at the time of reporting, the police confirmed that Wolstenholme was receiving support as the investigation continued.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential risks and consequences of misinformation and fake news in the age of social media. Wolstenholme’s experience highlights the need for vigilance and caution when consuming and sharing content online, as well as the impact that such incidents can have on individuals, both personally and professionally.
As Wolstenholme continues to navigate the aftermath of the hoax and work towards rebuilding her online presence, the support and solidarity of her followers and the wider community will be essential in helping her overcome this traumatic experience and move forward with her content creation career.