Billie Piper becomes the latest celebrity to get a controversial £1,495 private full body 'medical MOT' for free as she poses for a pre-scan shoot in her gown
Billie Piper has become the latest celebrity to get a controversial £1,495 private full body 'medical MOT' for free and posed for a pre-scan Instagram shoot on Thursday.The actress, 43, shared a promotional post of Prenuvo, a startup that offers MRIs they claim can detect cancer and chronic diseases years before symptoms begin.But with a staggering £1,495 price tag, the scan, which is not covered by health insurance, is only accessible to the privileged few who can afford it.Over the last few months, this promotion has prompted outrage on social media, as the likes of Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora, Kate Hudson and Holly Willoughby have faced criticism for their online promotions and discount codes.But Billie avoided the risk of criticism by ensuring her comments were turned off before promoting the service to Instagram followers through an online paid advertisement.Alongside her album, Billie penned: 'I AM INFLAMMATION. So grateful to experience a full-body scan with Prenuvo. Billie Piper, 43, has become the latest celebrity to get a controversial £1,495 private full body 'medical MOT' for free and posed for a pre-scan Instagram shoot on Thursday The actress shared a promotional post of Prenuvo, a startup that offers MRIs they claim can detect cancer and chronic diseases years before symptoms begin'Taking charge of my health in the most proactive way through their early detection technologies. #ad'In her album, she posed in a set of grey, Prenuvo-branded medical scrubs, taking a series of snaps around the medical clinic.She was pictured lying down in the MRI machine as she was slowly moved inside the scanner.And celebrities such as British TV star Holly have previously faced backlash for promoting these costly services.She underwent a 'multi-organ MRI scan' in September 2025 and shared her experience on Instagram with her followers.But Holly's post didn't go down well, as some of her followers pointed out that the high cost of the treatment would put it out of reach for many.'If only we were all so lucky,' one fan wrote, according to The Sun.Holly later turned off comments on the post, which was a paid ad. With a £1,495 price tag, the scan is only accessible to the privileged few who can afford it, causing a rise in criticism from the public. Billie avoided this by turning her comments off Alongside her album, Billie penned: 'I AM INFLAMMATION. So grateful to experience a full-body scan with Prenuvo' Billie posed in a set of grey, Prenuvo-branded medical scrubs, taking a series of snaps around the medical clinic She also shared a snap of her brain which was produced from the scanThis full-body scan was also previously featured in a sponsored post on Kim Kardashian's Instagram page, where she called it 'lifesaving.'Prenuvo has also been promoted by supermodel Cindy Crawford and her husband, Rande Gerber.The pair were pictured with their arms around each other while posing alongside the machine.Companies offering the services claim the large price tags are worth it as they reportedly screen for more than 500 diseases.The scans rely on artificial intelligence (AI) software to spot subtle changes that might suggest something is not right.But experts are questioning whether there is any evidence that they work, expressing concern that the scans are exploiting the fears of today's health-conscious population.Experts have cautioned that the technology isn't worth it for the average patient in good health with no symptoms.MRI, which stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, uses magnetic fields to produce detailed images of organs, bones and other structures inside the body without using radiation.They are typically ordered to help diagnose cancer, brain injuries, damaged blood vessels and other medical conditions.Full-body scans can take an hour or more, with patients lying motionless inside a cylindrical tube.Most experts only recommend routine, full-body scans for certain high-risk groups, such as people who have a heightened genetic risk of cancer.Dr Ernest Hawk, a vice president at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, told AP: 'MRIs are great for what they're typically used for.'But now you´re moving them much earlier into an average risk population, and that's where you can run into these questions that haven't been answered.'Dr Mina Makary, a radiologist at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Centre, said the likelihood of finding a serious problem, such as a cancerous tumour or brain aneurysm, in someone with no symptoms is low.'You're going to end up finding a lot of incidental things, she said.'That´s going to create more psychological stress or trauma for the patient, including additional costs for tests and procedures that may have risks.'Experts also worry that people who undergo MRI scans may start skipping other routine exams, such as mammograms.The American College of Radiology does not recommend MRI screening in people without symptoms, stating there is 'no documented evidence' that the technique is 'cost-efficient or effective in prolonging life.'And the FDA has not approved any MRI machines for preventive screening, but doctors are free to use the devices however they choose.'This is not an appropriate screening tool for a multiplicity of human illnesses and potentially emergent conditions,' Dr Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine physician in New York, previously told DailyMail.com. 'It's not a screening tool.'Prenuvo recently announced plans to screen 100,000 people and study their health over time. British TV presenter Holly Willoughby previously left fans unimpressed after she showed off her recent £1,495 private healthcare treatment Kim Kardashian posted on Instagram about her full-body MRI scan from Prenuvo, claiming the technology is 'life saving.' However, doctors warn there is no evidence supporting it works Actor and singer Kate Hudson has also posted about her experience with the full-body scan Fans quickly took to social media to slam the star for being 'out of touch' with regular US citizens and lambasted her for ignoring the 'rip off' health system in the USA in the 'embarrassing' postThe study isn't expected to wrap up until at least 2034.Most people enrolling in Prenuvo's study are expected to pay a four-figure fee.But eventually, academic or government studies could offer individuals a chance to participate in such research without paying out of pocket.'This is a great area in which to participate in a research study that might provide the information you´re seeking, while also helping answer whether this is beneficial or not,' Dr Hawk said.'But doing so outside of a study makes no sense.'Prenuvo has recently been taken to court in the US after a New York native, Sean Clifford, went for the scan and was told that he showed no obvious signs of disease.However, just eight months later, Sean suffered a catastrophic stroke that left him partially paralysed and brain-damaged.In September 2024, his family filed a lawsuit against Prenuvo after a radiologist contracted to reassess Sean’s scan found visible signs that arteries in his brain were narrowed – markedly raising his risk of a stroke in the near future.According to the lawsuit, which is still ongoing, if Prenuvo’s AI software had flagged these narrowed arteries, Sean’s stroke could have been avoided. What is the Prenuvo scan? Prenuvo uses MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) technology which, using powerful magnetic fields and radio waves, scans the inside of the body to create detailed images of internal tissues.Different types of human cells react differently to the scan enabling radiographers to spot signs of health problems if tissues look different than expected.The device itself looks like a large tube which a patent lies down inside while the scan is conducted.Patients are normally given hearing protection as the device can be loud and are instructed to lie as still as possible. The scan itself is completely painless.Typically, MRI is used to examine specific tissues, like scanning a patient’s heart for a suspected birth defect or getting a detailed image of a tumour in a cancer patient to plan potential surgery.Prenuvo claims its MRI scans are customised for full-body scanning to get a higher-quality image, and faster, than most typical providers, enabling them to pick up potential health problems other scanners could miss.It also using the technology differently, looking for health problems pre-emptively rather than using them to examine or assess a specific condition or disease.Prenuvo offers various scans but its most comprehensive, and expensive, is the $2,499 ‘Whole Body Scan’ which includes an evaluation of the results.It’s not without critics, however. In August las year, medics warned there is no evidence the scans have any clinical benefit and instead prey on the worried-well.
